Midnight Flame
by Lynyrd Lionheart
Summary: *COMPLETE* The past... it seems so harmless but it's anything but. Bella and Edward have faced it all can they beat this one last block that stands between them and their happily ever after? Threequel to the stories that started with Moonlight Sonata.
1. Preface

_**A/N: Well, I'm finally posting this. The preface is a bit weak… I wasn't quite sure what to put down. Unlike the other two stories, the path I'm taking isn't as clear. I know what's going to happen, and a vague idea of how it will end, but the path is a bit blurry. It will probably be about the length of Shadow Rising. You may notice that most of the titles are from Grey's Anatomy (my all time favourite tv show), so I don't own them. I'm not sure how soon updates will come- my life just got very hectic, so I have to beg for your patience. Please enjoy:**_

_**Midnight Flame**_

_Preface_

The past.

It's funny; I had never really thought much about it once I had left Forks. There were times I missed Renee and Charlie, of course- but beyond that, it was almost as if the past had never even existed.

Now, here I was, facing a part of my past that I didn't even realize existed, and all I could think of was how little I could remember it. Faces blurred and disappeared, I had to struggle to remember even the bigger things. All that I had was a series of names without faces.

_Mike… Jessica… Angela… _

Jacob Black.

The last one came from my childhood- a childhood that I only had blurred memories of. I'm not even sure how I had managed to recall the name- I hadn't remembered it even before I had been turned.

The past… it seems so harmless, doesn't it?


	2. Begin the Begin

_One. Begin the Begin_

_'I don't think we'll be going back to the Bahamas any time soon. Even though we managed to get our own private beach, the trip turned out to be a bust. I had never realized Andy had such sensitive skin- you wouldn't realize it looking at him. He was laid up for a week, trying to recover from the terrible sun burn he had received._

_I _told_ him he should have worn sun screen, but would he listen to me? No. Men can be total _idiots

_I'm glad to hear the Cullen clan is doing well, and I'm hoping we might be able to come and visit in a bit. We haven't encountered any Volturi agents- I was _positive_ that Aro would have sent them after us by now. Maybe Marcus holds more sway than I thought._

_Andrew sends his love. Keep that man of yours in line._

_Don't do anything I wouldn't,_

_Tiazza'_

I giggled as I read the end of the latest letter Tiazza had sent me. She and Andrew had decided to take a private get away to the Bahamas, only to have Andrew receive a terrible sunburn surfing the first day. I had to agree- I hadn't expected the swarthy werewolf to have skin that sensitive. Maybe his tan came from a bottle…

Must be a pretty expensive bottle.

"Are you done reading yet?" asked Edward from the bed we shared.

I grinned back at him, and he held his arms out to me- a nearly irresistible invitation.

"Just let me reply?" I answered.

Edward pouted at me.

"Couldn't it wait?" he asked, getting up so that he could come and kiss my neck. "I want my Bella."

I couldn't resist melting into his touch- Edward always had that effect on me.

"I should reply," I told him, moaning when his lips found a particularly sensitive spot.

"Tell her that you were too busy being ravaged," he replied, pulling me into his arms.

"You're insatiable," I informed him before reaching up to claim his lips with mine.

Hey, I hadn't said I wasn't insatiable too!

We were just starting to get to the good stuff when the sound of yelling reached our ears from the hall.

"Rose and Emmett must be at it again," I muttered, as I went to the door and opened it. Both Edward and I poked our heads out. "Would you two shut- Jasper, Alice?!"

I stared incredulously at the two vampires. Rosalie and Emmett were always fighting and making up, but Jasper and Alice always seemed to be in agreement. They were a well oiled unit. Seeing them fight was just… _weird_.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

"Why don't you ask Mr. Two-Timing Hale here," replied Alice in a hiss.

"You can't get mad at me for something I haven't even done, Alice!" Jasper growled. "And besides- I would _never_ cheat on you."

"I know what I saw, Jasper!" replied Alice before spinning to look at Edward. "Wouldn't you say that looks pretty suspicious?"

I stared at my sister in confusion a moment, before realizing she must be showing Edward the vision.

"I ah… you see…" Edward looked at me, as if begging for help. I shrugged at him. "We have stuff we have to do… stuff that can only occur somewhere else. Away from here. _Far _away from here."

Jasper growled out a curse as Edward dragged me hurriedly down the steps and out of the house. I shot him an apologetic look, but he and Alice had started yelling at one another again, so I wasn't sure he saw it.

"Did you two nearly get caught up in their argument, too?" Emmett asked as we exited the house. The other four members of our family- Emmett and Rosalie, and the parental figures Carlisle and Esme- sat at the patio table playing cards.

"Alice tried to get me to say what I thought of her vision," Edward replied, pulling a chair up to the table and pulling me down to sit on his lap. Emmett dealt him into the game.

"Texas Hold 'Em," he said and Edward nodded.

"What exactly _was_ Alice's vision?" asked Rosalie, accepting a card from Emmett and flicking her long blonde hair over a shoulder. "I'd like to know why we've been kicked out of the house. It hasn't happened in so long."

"It's happened before?" I asked, surprised.

"About every decade or so Jasper will do something incredibly stupid, and he and Alice will have a huge fight. They always make up, but we tend to stay out of the house for a while- their tempers can be explosive," explained Rose. "The vision, Edward?"

"Alice had a vision of Jasper and another woman- a vampire. Their position was… well, let's just say I can see how Alice would be suspicious," replied Edward. "Hit me," he added to Emmett.

"I don't think Jasper would cheat on Alice," I said. "There must be some other explanation."

"I agree," replied Edward. "And Alice wants there to be- but even the thought that Jasper might cheat on her is painful."

I opened my mouth to reply, but before I could, the door burst open and Jasper flew out. Alice stood in the doorway, her eyes black with anger.

"How am I supposed to believe you when you know the _name_ of the woman in the vision?" she demanded, ignoring the rest of us.

"Dammit Alice," growled Jasper. "I knew someone that fit that description when I belonged to the other coven- before I even _met_ you. I haven't seen her since then!"

"Let me guess- the relationship _wasn't_ platonic? Leave me alone, Jasper."

That said, Alice slammed the door shut, leaving the rest of us to stare at the dishevelled Jasper, who was rising to his feet, cursing darkly.

"Watch your language, Jasper Hale," scolded Esme. Her face then softened as she asked: "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jasper sighed and dropped heavily into an empty chair, running his fingers through his hair.

"Not really," he replied. "I'd rather just wallow in self-pity for a while."

"That's not going to happen," I informed him. "If the empathy is wallowing, it will make the rest of us wallow. Now, I don't know about everyone else, but I have no particular urge to feel self-pity for no particular reason."

"So, put up a block around everyone else. It would be good practice- _I'm _going to wallow."

I sighed and put the block up around everyone, before watching Jasper sadly. Of all my siblings, he was the one I was closest too, and it pained me to see him so upset.

"I'm not going to watch you pout," Emmett informed him bluntly, standing up. "There are better things for me to do."

He left, and this seemed to be a signal for everyone else to do the same. Edward paused at the door and looked back at me, his eyes asking me to come.

_'I have to try and talk to him,'_ I told him softly. Edward frowned slightly, but nodded slightly and continued into the house.

I sat there for a while, watching Jasper glare at the table moodily. Neither of us spoke.

"I don't see how she could trust me so little," he said at last. "We've been together for decades, yet, as soon as she Sees something suspicious, she no longer trusts me. What kind of a relationship is _that_?"

I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Edward and I had once had a conversation rather similar to this.

_"You promised Bella," he whispered. "What kind of a relationship do we have if we can't even trust one another?"_

"_Not much," I replied._

I had felt as if he had ripped my heart out, and I knew my words _had_ ripped out his. I hoped Alice hadn't heard Jasper's statement- I didn't want my sister to feel that pain.

"Jasper…" I began, but then I stopped, unable to come up with the words that would make him feel better.

He laughed bitterly.

"See? Even you can't come up with an answer. Maybe… maybe…"

"Maybe what?" I asked, not liking the dark look in his eyes.

"Nothing," he replied at last. "Maybe nothing," he turned to look at me. "I'm going hunting. Tell Alice not to bother waiting up for me."

"Jazz-" I started.

But he had already left.

I stared after him, wishing with all my un-beating heart that I was still able to cry.


	3. Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

_**A.N: And here's chapter two. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Please enjoy!**_

_Two. Tell Me Sweet Little Lies_

I entered the house to see Alice sitting at the bottom of the steps, staring darkly at the floor in front of her. It was odd- frightening, really- to see the normally bright, cheerful Alice look so down and depressed. I walked slowly to the stairs and sat beside her.

"Want to talk about it?" I asked her.

"I thought you didn't like to _talk about it_," Alice replied, her voice a hiss. I didn't say anything, and she sighed. "I'm sorry Bella- I shouldn't take it out on you. It's just… I know what I saw!"

"It hasn't happened yet, Alice," I told her softly. "And now that you both know about it, it probably _won't_. Jasper is loyal to you- don't ever doubt that."

"If he's so loyal, why are you here instead of him?" Alice asked me. "Eighty years have gone down the drain Bella- and I'm not sure how to stop it from happening."

"Trust him," I told her. "Trust in him and his love for you."

"Sometimes love isn't enough," Alice told me. "And sometimes it's too hard to trust."

"It was one vision of the future- how could it have shook your faith in him so thoroughly?"

"It wasn't just _one_ vision, Bella!" Alice cried, jumping up. "It's several visions. I've been having them for the past two weeks- today I reached my snapping point! All of them are different, and all of them involve Jasper being with someone who's not _me_!"

I stayed sitting on the step, allowing Alice to vent.

"Do you realize how much it hurt me to see that? I love him with my whole being- and it felt like someone had ripped out my heart when I saw those visions. It's not that I think they're definitely going to happen- it's that there's even the vaguest _chance_ of them occurring!" She ran her hands through her wild hair. "It's driving me crazy, Bella… who is the woman? What's her connection to Jasper? Damn it all- I wish I couldn't have these visions. It would make life a _lot_ less complicated!"

I stayed silent, and Alice spun around to face me.

"Don't you have anything to say? Some deep meaningful something that will make me feel better? Because I could _really_ use it right now."

"I don't know what to say, Alice," I told her softly. "I don't know what you saw… but I do know that you need to tell Jasper all this- not me. He thinks that you had one vision and lost all faith in him. Explain what's been happening. You two love each other- I _know_ you can get past this."

"I wish I had your faith in us, Bella," Alice whispered.

She didn't say anything more and I didn't ask her to.

"Any luck?" Edward asked me when I crawled onto his lap where he was sitting on the couch. I didn't reply, instead I reached up to catch his lips with mine. Alice and Jasper's argument made me realize how fragile our love was. If two people who had been together for decades could fall apart so easily…

It was a scary thought.

Edward wasn't about to argue against my actions, choosing instead to return my kiss with equal fervour. I sighed blissfully against his mouth and ran my fingers through his hair. I loved Edward's hair. It was so soft, and the bronze color was so uniquely _Edward_.

We sat there for a while, just kissing. Sometimes it was wonderful not having to breathe.

Finally we broke apart, both gasping. I leaned back in to kiss him again once I had caught my breath, but he stopped me. I looked at him questioningly.

"I like the kissing," he told me. "So I'm hoping you won't think that I'm stopping you because I don't- because I do… but I think we should talk about what's bothering you," his hand came up to stroke my hair softly, "because as much as I would like to indulge, I don't think sex is what you need right now."

"Your mind jumps from kisses to sex awfully quick, Mr. Cullen," I murmured, trailing my lips across his. He didn't respond, although I could tell by the way he clenched his fists that he wanted to. I sighed, seeing that he was going to be stubborn. "I'm worried."

"About what?" he asked softly.

"Alice and Jasper, us… what Alice's vision might do to the family. I'm just one great big ball of worry."

"I can understand the first thing, and even the last- but why would you be worried about us?" Edward's confused eyes stared down into mine.

"Our track record hasn't exactly been smooth, Edward. What with the whole you leaving thing, and then Italy… if a relationship that's been as long-term as Alice and Jasper's can be so fragile then…" I trailed off and refused to meet his gaze.

"Then…" Edward prompted, but I continued to stare resolutely at his chest. I felt, rather than heard him sigh before his hand grasped my chin softly and pulled my face up to meet his gaze. "Then what, Bella?"

"What hope do we have?" I finished softly, my voice so quiet Edward had to lean in to catch what I said.

"Do you have so little faith in us?" he replied, his eyes showing the hurt that his voice hid.

"We're so fragile Edward… I'm allowed to be scared- I didn't exactly grow up with a solid role-model on how love is supposed to be."

Edward leaned down to nuzzle his face into my hair, and I felt him plant a kiss there.

"Ours is the forever kind of love, Bella," he swore to me. "As for the instances you used against us- I actually see them as being in our favour. Our love has survived a lot- and so has Alice and Jasper's. Everything is going to be fine."

I tried to believe Edward's words- he had known Alice and Jasper longer, and he sounded so sure.

But my gut was telling me that things were about to get a lot worse before they got better.

Jasper didn't return to the house until after midnight. He didn't speak to Alice- or anyone else, for that matter. He just walked into the door, his clothes streaked with mud and ripped in several places, his hair a wild mess, and gave a long emotionless look at all of us as we sat in the living room. Then he walked up the steps and into one of the guest bedrooms.

Alice got up and left the house without another word.

And the feeling of dread in my stomach became an ache in my heart.


	4. Bandaid Over The Bullet Hole

_Three. Bandaid Over The Bullet Hole_

**Bella:**You know that feeling of dread you get when everything's about to go to hell in a hand basket?

**Tia:** Yeah…

**Bella:** Well, that's the feeling I'm getting right now.

**Tia: **They still haven't talked, then?

**Bella:** No… and what's even worse is that they don't even act like anything's _wrong_. They just go on with life as if the other- and the overwhelming tension- doesn't exist. I'm worried Tia… _really_ worried.

**Tia:** They have to figure this out themselves, Bella.

**Bella:** I know- I just wish there was _something_ I could do to help.

**Tia:** This is going to sound really mean, but I'm going to say it anyways- butt out, Isabella Swan. Jasper and Alice are grown people- you have to let make, and fix, their own mistakes. You can't always be Superman.

**Bella:** I feel so _useless_ though!

**Tia:** Get Edward to distract you then. I gotta go, Bella. Andrew's calling- talk to you later?

**Bella:** Yeah- bye Tia.

**Tia: **Bye Bella- and try not to worry so much, you'll only get wrinkles.

I sighed as I logged off of my Instant Messenger. Tia and I talked to each other on it about every four weeks- a break from the usual emails. I had been hoping that she might be able to help me get rid of the disturbing wrenching in my gut whenever I thought of Jazz and Alice, but she hadn't.

"What did Tiazza have to say?" Edward asked, leaning down to rest his head on my shoulder.

"Not much," I sighed, leaning back and closing my eyes. "I really hate this, Edward. Not even _my_ powers can block the tension- it's that strong."

Edward stood up and began to rub my shoulders.

"You need to relax, Bella," he murmured. "You're very tense."

"It's hard not to be," I grumbled- but even as I said the words, I felt my shoulders loosening under Edward's skilful hands. I let my head roll back on the back of my chair and sighed in pleasure, closing my eyes and concentrating on the feeling of his hands. "That feels wonderful."

"That's why I'm doing it," Edward replied cheekily. I let one eye drift open lazily to shoot him a half-hearted glare.

"Arrogant," I told him. "That's what you are."

"You love me for it," he retorted.

"I really do," I told him, completely serious. His eyes softened and one of his hands came up to tenderly brush some of my hair out of my face before he cupped my cheek. I leaned into his hand, purring contentedly.

"Everything will be okay," he told me softly, kneeling down so that our eyes were at the same level. "I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," I told him softly. "Just hold me."

He didn't answer, choosing instead to lift me into his arms so he could sit in my chair and settle me comfortably into his lap. I snuggled into his chest, closing my eyes and taking comfort in the solidness of his chest.

"Carlisle wants to talk to the family," he sighed at last. "That's actually why I came up here."

I bit back a groan- I didn't want to leave the comfort of Edward's arm and our room, not when the tension was so thick everywhere else in the house, but I also knew that Carlisle wouldn't call a meeting if it wasn't important.

"Five more minutes," I replied quietly, moving myself up to nuzzle into his neck. "Let's avoid reality for five more minutes."

"Okay," Edward agreed.

Five minutes became ten, and then Emmett was banging at our door.

"C'mon love birds!" he yelled. "Carlisle wants you downstairs five minutes ago!"

I sighed and pressed a kiss to Edward's neck before sitting up and pushing myself up off the bed. Edward opened the door for me, and followed me out.

"Do you two never stop?" Emmett asked us as we entered the living room where everyone else was already gathered. I shot him a glare before noticing with a pang that Alice and Jasper still sat at opposite sides of the room.

"Have a seat," Carlisle told us. "And Emmett- could you please avoid making such comments in my presence?"

"Sorry Carlisle," Emmett replied sheepishly.

"Could you tell us what's so important?" Jasper asked. "I would like to go hunting."

"What's with you and hunting?" snapped Alice. "Or is that just code for _I'm meeting some vampiress for a romp_?"

"Yes," snapped Jasper, his voice laden with sarcasm. "That's _exactly_ what it means."

"I wouldn't put it past you!"

"Jasper! Alice! Stop arguing for a moment and let me speak!" Carlisle said sharply.

Jasper and Alice both snapped their mouths shut and looked determinedly at anything but each other. I sighed sadly and Edward tightened his arms around me. I looked up at him and he gave me a small, reassuring smile.

"What's wrong, Carlisle?" Esme asked, her forehead creased with worry.

"I received some disturbing news from Eleazar this morning," Carlisle replied. "He told me that some of his Washington contacts told him of… deaths, I suppose would be as good a word as any. Vampires have been being destroyed- all within a fifty mile radius of Forks. I contacted some of our contacts in Seattle and Port Angeles and they confirmed what Eleazar told me."

"Something's been killing vampires?" I asked incredulously. "But… who would have that kind of power?"

"Another coven of vampires," Edward replied. "Or… a pack of werewolves. Do you think it's the Quileutes?"

"It's possible," Carlisle replied. "And if they suspect that we had anything to do with Bella's death…"

He trailed off, leaving me to stare at Carlisle with confusion, and the others to adopt apprehensive looks.

"If they suspect you had something to do with my death what?" I asked when it appeared Carlisle wouldn't continue.

"It's possible they're looking of us," Edward replied grimly. "We had a peace agreement with them, and when I bit you, I broke it. They probably wouldn't have bothered with us unless we came back, except that you're Charlie's daughter, and Charlie is good friends with Billy Black- the Quileute leader."

"Billy Black," I frowned, thinking hard. "That name sounds familiar but… I can't remember him," I felt a pang in my heart at the thought of a past I was quickly forgetting.

"We'll have to move further from Washington," Jasper said. "We're too close to the border here."

"Probably," Carlisle agreed. "But lets not be to hasty. Bella, do you think you could get in contact with Andrew?"

"Easily," I replied. "I'll just send an e-mail to Tia and she'll give it to Andy. Why?"

"He's a werewolf," Rosalie told me. "He can safely enter Quileute territory without worry."

"Exactly," agreed Carlisle, his face grim. "We need someone to investigate the situation… I think it's time you called in the favour he owes you."

"Okay," I nodded, ignoring the sinking feeling in my stomach.

Later I would realize I had good instincts- I wish I had known it then.


	5. Staring At The Sun

_**A/N: Okay- so this is chapter four. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. This is mostly a flash back (which is everything in italics). Please enjoy:**_

_Four. Staring At The Sun_

"Life's really gone to hell, hasn't it?" Rosalie asked me softly, as she came to sit next to me.

"It has," I agreed. "How's Alice."

"Avoiding this room like the plague. Where's Jasper?"

"I made him leave… she looks so fragile. I don't see how such a weak-looking creature could bring us so much pain," I looked at Rosalie with pained eyes. "I want to hate her for being here… but I can't. I just feel sorry for her."

"I know what you mean," Rosalie agreed.

We both gazed back at the object of our conversation- a vampiress with dark brown hair. Her body was riddled with scratches and deep gashes that still leaked venom. I didn't understand how it was possible for her to be unconscious- Carlisle had tried to explain it to me, but I hadn't really understood it, and he had eventually given up. Something about energy loss and the mind shutting down.

"I kind of wish we hadn't let him go hunting," Rosalie said softly.

"Me too… is that bad of us?"

"I don't know."

_"Where's Jasper?" I asked Edward, coming back downstairs to where he sat playing video games with Emmett. I heard Alice growl softly as Edward answered._

_"He went hunting," he looked at Alice apprehensively. "Do you know why he's been going hunting so often? He's hardly ever here. Do you think he's relapsing."_

_I doubted that Jasper's sudden hunting spree had much to do with actually being hungry, but I was conscious enough of Alice's feelings not to say anything._

_Alice didn't have any such qualms herself, though._

_"He isn't actually hungry, Edward," she hissed. "He's just being a coward and running away from his problems- from _me_!"_

_I could hear the unadulterated pain in her usually musical voice, now tight with restraint._

_"I'm sure that's not true," Edward argued._

_"Why- have you been reading his mind or something?"_

_"No… I haven't been able to read _anyone's_ mind- not since the tension got too much for Bella to bear and her powers have gone all crazy- or did you not notice that _you_ haven't been having visions lately?"_

_Alice looked shocked for a moment, before turning to me, her eyes full of guilt._

_"Oh Bella! I'm so sorry- I didn't realize that I was having that affect on you… I'll… I'll… oh I don't know what I'll do! I would promise to get rid of the tension, but I can't do that without Jasper's help, and he doesn't seem to be too keen on talking to me right now so-"_

_"It's okay, Alice," I assured her. "I'm getting my powers back under control all the time. It won't be much longer now and they'll be fine. I'm more worried about you."_

_"Don't be- I'm fine."_

_"That's a lie."_

_Alice shrugged._

_"Frankly Bella, it's a lot easier to convince myself that everything's fine than to consider the alternative."_

_"And what's that?"_

_"That I'm not fine- that Jasper and I are done. If I think that… I don't think I could handle that."_

_I opened my mouth to answer when the door slammed open._

_"Help!" Jasper shouted. "Someone get Carlisle and come help!"_

_Edward was the first to reach our brother. Jasper held a pale, motionless woman with long black hair and flawless features in his arms. Edward shot her a tight-lipped look, but shot off to get Carlisle._

_"What happened?" Emmett demanded._

_"I don't know," Jasper replied. "I found her in the forest."_

_He pushed past us, heading for the living room. He paused when he came up beside Alice who was alternating her murderous glare between him and the woman._

_"I couldn't leave her Alice," he said, his voice pleading for her to understand. "I love you- but I loved her once as well."_

_"Once- unlikely," Alice replied, her voice oddly flat. "Was I just the rebound Jasper? An easy target to help you get over her."_

_"You don't have a rebound for eighty years, Ally," Jasper replied. "What did you want me to do? Leave her there to die?"_

_"She's a vampire, she would have survived," Alice replied. _

_"Al-"_

_"I don't want to talk to you right now, Jasper," she interrupted. "In fact, I'm not sure I want to talk to you _ever_."_

_She spun on her heel and stormed away, ignoring Carlisle and Edward as they came down the steps. Jasper set the woman down on the couch and moved to go after Alice, but Edward halted him._

_"Let her cool down, Jasper. Talking to her now won't help anything."_

_"But-"_

_"You know I'm right."_

_Jasper sighed and nodded, running his hand through his hair._

_"Ya, I know."_

_He sat down on the loveseat across from the couch, his face buried in his hands._

_"Are you okay?" I asked softly, breaking out of my shocked stupor to sit next to him._

_"I found a half-dead vampire, my wife won't talk to me, and I can't use my empathy powers… I'm just _dandy_."_

_I ignored the sarcasm and rubbed his back._

_"That woman… is she the vampiress from Alice's visions?"_

_"Yes."_

_I bit my lip, not knowing if I would be crossing any lines with my next question, but I had to ask. I could tell Rosalie, who sat a few feet away obviously eavesdropping, was curious as well._

_"Jasper… is she an old lover of yours?"_

_"Yes," Jasper replied bleakly. "God help me but she was."_

_I wanted to help him, to reassure him that everything would be okay, but instead I let him get up and walk out the door to be alone with his misery._

_I had no idea what to say._

"Carlisle couldn't really explain it to me in language I could understand," I said to Rosalie, trying to break away from my bleak remembrances. "But maybe you could- how is it possible for her to be unconscious?"

"Carlisle probably used lots of big medical terms- typical," Rosalie replied. "It's really not that difficult. We can't sleep as vampires, but if we've suffered enough stress physically and mentally, our minds just shutdown. It's sort of similar to that thing you do when you block everything out and stare at one spot on the wall. This woman has been to hell and back again, her body- even with a vampire's increased abilities- couldn't handle that, so it shut down. She'll wake up once her body's recovered. It shouldn't be too long."

"Okay," I replied slowly. "I suppose that makes sense," I looked at the woman. Her wounds had stopped seeping and were beginning to heal, but she still looked pretty beaten up. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know," Rosalie replied. "I think we're looking at the only one who can answer us."

I didn't reply, and Rosalie didn't say anymore. I briefly wondered what she was thinking, but soon became to involved in my own thoughts to be truly curious. I had received an e-mail from Tia while I was sitting here, saying that Andrew would check out the Washington situation. I worried about him and what he would find for a while, before I worried about Alice and Jasper. I hoped this woman wouldn't be the catalyst that tore them apart. I don't think the family could stand something like that happening.

Rose and I were so caught up in our thoughts that we didn't notice the woman awakening at first. It wasn't until she spoke that we were brought back to the present.

"Where am I?"

"You're in Canada," Rosalie told her. "I'm Rosalie Hale. This is my sister, Bella Swan. Do you remember anything that happened to you?"

"No… I just remember pain and then darkness."

I shared a look with Rosalie. There went our chance of discovering what had happened to her. What she said next made us forget all about that, though.

"Who am I?"


	6. Alpha

_**A/N: So, I left you guys with that nasty little cliff hanger last chapter, and I'm not even going back to it yet. I love being evil sometimes. This chapter is all about Andy meeting the Quileutes- which means it's in his POV. I would like to thank Golden Eyes Silver Fangs who gave me some good ideas for this chapter in their review for chapter three. Please enjoy:**_

_Five. Alpha_

"Bella used to live _here_?" I crinkled my nose as the houses of the small town flashed by outside the windows of my car. "I would _hate_ to live in a place this depressing."

"I don't know," replied Tia from the passenger seat. "I kind of like it."

I rolled my eyes.

"That's because you're a vampire, love. A vampire who happens to hate living in doors."

Tia shrugged. I thread my fingers through hers and pulled her hand up to my lips so I could kiss it.

"You'll have to stay here when I go to Quileute territory," I told her.

"I don't get why," Tia whined in reply. "You could use back up."

"I can handle a bunch of adolescent werewolves, Tia. I've been one for a few years now- this pack's alpha only has twenty months under his belt," I smiled at her fondly. "It will be safer if I go by myself. If these _are_ the ones killing vampires, they would kill you on sight, and probably not let me live much longer."

Tia sighed.

"I know- but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

I pulled to a stop in front of the only hotel in Forks- a shabby, run-down little place that really needed it's shingles replaced.

Or to be abolished.

"This is where we're staying?" Tia asked distastefully.

"What- not good enough for the Volturi princess?" I teased her. She gave me a narrow eyed glare and a bruising punch to the arm.

"Ouch," I gasped, grabbing the limb and reeling about dramatically.

"Oh, put a sock in it, drama queen," she drawled. I laughed and opened the trunk of the car, pulling our bags out. I stopped Tia when she reached to take her bags from me.

"Now, now Tia- you're supposed to let me feel like a big macho man, which means I carry your bags."

Tia raised an eyebrow and the smirked the little smirk that always got me hot under the collar.

"I think there are better ways to do that, don't you?" she purred, leaning her body against the length of mine- making it suddenly hard to breathe.

"Yes," I managed to strangle out. "Yes, I do."

"Then let's go."

It took me a moment after her body had left mine to realize that she had taken her bags with her. I shook my head in bemusement and followed after the hell cat that had stolen my heart.

She would be the death of me yet.

"You'll be careful, won't you?" Tia's burgundy eyes looked at me with clear worry. She hadn't been on her new diet of animals long enough for them to have changed to the topaz that signified a vegetarian vampire.

"I'll be fine," I promised, brushing some of her black hair out of her face. "You'll be careful as well?"

"I won't mess up if that's what you're getting at."

"I know," I assured her. "I have total faith in you."

"You'll call me if something goes wrong?" she asked anxiously. I didn't point out that, if something went wrong, I wouldn't be able to get to my cell much less call her- no need to increase her worry.

"Of course," I promised instead. She bit her lip, obviously still worried, but went up on her tippy-toes to kiss my lips quickly rather than say anything more. I wrapped my arm around her waist when she went to move away, pulling her tight against body and plundering her mouth with mine. If this was going to be the last time I kissed her, she would damn well remember it.

"You'll come back," she told me when we broke apart- I was unsure if it was a question or statement.

"I'll come back," I promised, leaning my forehead against hers.

I dearly hoped I wouldn't be breaking that promise.

Bella had been able to tell me little about the Quileutes. I had used a pay phone in California to call the Cullens and ask Carlisle about what he knew. He hadn't been able to tell me much more than Bella. There had been three werewolves when they had left Forks. By now there could be even more. The situation made me uneasy- the years I had spent in the dungeons of the Volturi stronghold had made me uneasy and suspicious of others- even my brother wolves. There were few exceptions- Tiazza, Bella, and, by association to Bella, the Cullens. I was wary of walking into a situation as full of unknowns as this one was.

Still- I owed Bella my freedom… helping her with this was a small price to pay.

I pulled my car to a stop once I reached the outskirts of the reserve. I stepped out of the car and focused my mind, sifting through the scents that hung in the breeze. I could smell Tia, her scent clinging to me. It took a lot of strength to push it aside- I loved Tia's smell- but I did it and focused on finding the smell of werewolf.

It didn't take me long.

I got back into the car and fired it up, rolling down the window so that I could follow the smell of wolf. I had to take a few detours to avoid driving through buildings, but I finally made it to a medium-sized, well built house near to the reserve's outskirts. The smell of wolf was strongest here- as was the smell of eggs and bacon. My mouth watered at the scent- I had left before I had had time to eat, and now I found that I was quite hungry.

"Live with a vampire long enough and you forget the human requirements," I grumbled to myself- but I didn't really mean it. Tia was my life and I would be miserable without her.

My thoughts were cut off by a low growling. A tall youth stood in the door of the house. His bulk blocked most of the door, but I could see the outlines of two more young men behind him.

At least three… who knew how many more were in the house, though.

"Who are you?" growled the male in the door- he was obviously alpha.

"Andrew," I replied. I noted the way his hands shook slightly and couldn't help but sneer. "And you're on the brink of losing control."

The man growled again.

"You smell like vampire," he hissed.

"Really?" I asked with false surprise. "That's odd- the last time I checked, I was a werewolf. Perhaps I was changed without realizing it?" I dropped the sarcasm and became serious. "I was held prisoner by some vamps for a while- not fun. I've never been able to get the stench off me."

I was suddenly glad Tia wasn't with me- I would have been in deep trouble if she had heard that comment.

"How did you get away?" the man asked suspiciously.

"I'm just that smart," I replied with a nonchalant shrug. I was hardly going to tell them about Tia, Bella, and Jasper. "You know my name- it's only polite to introduce yourself, pup."

"Pup!" growled the man indignantly. "I'm Alpha here."

"Well then,_ Alpha_, you should know that it's only polite to introduce yourself and the pack to a brother," when I had been Alpha...

I pushed those thoughts to the back of mind- that had been a long time ago, when I was young and naïve- before Tia had shown me the world.

"I am Sam Uley," said the man at last. "You may come in and meet the rest of the pack- but if you cause any harm," the man's expression became menacing, "it will be the _last_ thing you do."

I was confused about Sam's fierceness- I had done nothing suspicious- until he and his two lackeys stepped aside so I could enter the house and see the source of the food.

A young woman was making a large batch of scrambled eggs. She would have been beautiful if it hadn't been for the scars that marred one side of her face.

Scars caused by claws.

"Do you see something interesting?" she demanded when she noticed my gaze.

"Em," murmured Sam. "Careful."

I looked at him amused- he obviously feared that I was going to lose control.

"She can speak as she wishes," I told him. "I have more control over myself than that. A few insults will not penetrate _my_ exterior."

"We're a dangerous people," Sam replied. "I would rather not risk it."

"As you wish," I shrugged and surveyed the other five werewolves in the kitchen. "Are you going to introduce me to your pack, Sam Uley- or are we going to discuss my control?"

"Jacob, Paul, Embry, Jared, and Quil," Sam pointed to each one as he said their names.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to the girl?" I asked him, leaning against the wall.

"Leave Emily out of this!" Sam snarled.

"Hello Emily, it's nice to meet you," I said. She looked taken aback.

"Er hello… uh…"

"Oh, sorry- I'm Andrew. Andrew Walters, if you want my full name."

"You said that you had been taken prisoner by vampires?" asked the boy Jacob, his dark face intense. "You know where there's a coven."

"Yes," I replied slowly. "But they are far too powerful for a pack of skilled werewolves to go after, much less a bunch of adolescents. And they live in Italy."

"We could take them!" snarled the one named Paul.

"Pup- you couldn't defeat _me_, much less Jane and Alec. Jane can get in your head and make you feel as if you're being tortured for hours," I shuddered, remembering what they had put me through. "It nearly broke me, and you're a lot younger than I am."

"You don't look that old," he replied.

I've been a werewolf for twelve years," I replied. "I came into it young… you've been one for, what? Six months? A year at the most," I glanced at Emily, accessing her scars. "No… not a year. Six months sounds closer, maybe eight. It had to be before that happened- you would have stopped your Alpha before he'd attacked if you'd been a wolf at the time."

Emily's hand went up to the scars.

"How can you tell?" she asked softly.

"Sweetheart, for four years I only had my scars for company in a dungeon in the stronghold of the most powerful vampire family alive. You learn how to tell how old a wound is after a while," I glanced at Sam. "You don't have enough control- that's dangerous in an Alpha, especially an Alpha of a young pack."

"Are you going to challenge me?" Sam snarled angrily.

I laughed.

"Hardly- I don't have the time to challenge you, nor is that what I'm here for."

"Why _are_ you here?" asked Jared calmly.

"For information," I replied. "There have been rumours that someone's been killing vampires- and that the _somebody_ is a pack of werewolves. Now, these killings have been happening in this general area, and you're the only pack I've seen around here."

"A coven broke a treaty with us," said Sam. "They killed the daughter of a man who is well respected on both the reserve and down in the town, then they fled. We've been hunting for them ever since."

"Have you killed them yet?" I asked.

"No- the vampires we've killed were just ones we happened upon. There's only been one coven we killed- a group of leeches who killed humans for sustenance. Despicable creatures."

I didn't reply- I had never quite agreed with the feud between our kinds.

"What's the name of the coven you're searching for?" I asked, licking my lips. I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear Sam say it himself.

"Their name is Cullen- and we won't stop until we see them destroyed."

It was two hours after I had left that I entered the hotel room I shared with Tia once more.

"What's wrong?" she asked as I started throwing clothes into our suitcases.

"The wolves are the ones killing vampires- and they're after the Cullen's blood. We have to go to Canada and warn them before the Quileutes find them and discover Bella isn't as dead as they thought."


	7. Blind Sided By The Train

_**A.N: I'm so glad everyone seems to like Andrew so much. I have a soft spot for him and Tia- and they're just so much **_**fun**_** to write- especially when they're together. This chapter takes us back to the Cullen clan. It's sort of a semi-filler that tells a bit more about Jasper and the mystery vampires before Andy and Tia come to tie the two story lines we have going together. For anyone interested, I re-wrote the changing scene in **_**Moonlight Sonata**_**. A lot of people said there wasn't enough detail, so I tried to improve it. This chapter may make you mad at both me and Jasper- but please remember there is a point to my madness. Now, without further ado, please enjoy:**_

_Six. Blind-Sided By The Train_

"_Who am I?"_

Rose and I stared at the girl with silent shock. She stared back at us quizzically, her head cocked to the side like small child.

"What's going on in here? I felt your guys' conf- Sam, you're awake," Jasper halted when he saw the vampiress sitting up on her bed.

"Sam? Is that my name?" she asked.

Jasper looked at Rose and me, his brow furrowed with confusion.

"She… ah… she doesn't remember who she is," Rose explained.

"I feel like I know you," the woman mused. "Do we know each other?"

"We did," Jasper was clearly uncomfortable. "A long time ago. Your name is Samantha Bennet and you're a vampire."

"I know _that_," replied Samantha. "But… that's all I remember… except…" she trailed off with a frown before speaking again. "I remember someone telling me _'if you call me, I will come'_… but I don't know who it was."

Jasper was _definitely_ uncomfortable now. He glanced at Rose and I, shifting his feet back and forth and clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Yes, well… we'll have to figure that out. I'll go tell Carlisle you're awake," he quickly left the room. I shot Rosalie a look and she nodded slightly.

I shot after Jasper.

"You made that promise, didn't you?" I asked him as I came up beside him.

"Your patient awakens and you leave her- don't you want to make sure that there are no repercussions from her situation?"

"She's a vampire and Rose is with her- she'll be fine. Answer the question, Jasper."

Jasper stayed steadfastly silent.

"You see- this not talking thing? That's what's messing you and Alice up," I told him.

"Pot calling kettle black, Bella. You can't lecture me- remember Italy?"

"Of course I remember Italy- and I admit that what I did was dumb… I also recall you helping me. So you don't get to lecture me, either," I moved ahead of him, making him stop. "And this isn't a lecture, Jazz. What you're doing- it's affecting the whole family. We _need_ to know everything that's happened between you and… _Samantha_- it's the only way Alice will ever trust you."

"I thought you didn't like to talk feelings- remember when you were first turned?"

"I also remember letting you feel my anguish over Edward leaving and not putting the blocks back up," I informed him. "It's almost weird- I've gotten to the point where I'll share, meanwhile you _won't_."

"There's nothing _to_ share, Bell. Sam and I were lovers, I left when I gained a conscious; she liked the life we led and refused to come. I met and fell in love with Alice, end of story."

"Except its not- _if you call me, I will come_- what's that Jazz?"

"Sounds like a promise someone made her. Probably and old lover-"

"Such as _you_?"

Jasper growled angrily and, before I knew it, his palm had struck me across the face. I reeled back in shock, my hand coming up to the stinging cheek. I stared at Jasper with wide eyes, my palm over the sore surface, and he stared back, just as surprised at his actions.

"Bell… I…." he stared at me helplessly, but I didn't say anything, too caught between shock and anger.

"If you don't want to talk, we won't," I said at last, my voice void of emotion.

"Bella-" he began.

I didn't stick around to hear what would have followed.

-

I thought about returning to Rose and Samantha, but decided against it. I was still hurt by Jasper's actions and didn't want to risk meeting him there. Instead I headed out of the house. Hunting was exactly what I needed. I'd take my anger out on the poor defenceless deer and grizzly bear.

I couldn't believe that he had hit me. Of all of my siblings, he was the one I was closest to. He had been right by my side through all the bad situations- Edward leaving, the Italy fiasco… it hurt that, when I tried to return the favour and help him, he reacted by lashing out.

"Ugh!" I roared angrily, bringing my fist around to smash it into a tree, sending splinters flying. I stood motionless, staring at the decimated tree, breathing hard. I shook my hand lightly, getting rid of the pieces of wood that hung onto it. I wasn't normally a violent person, but…

I collapsed to my knees, sobbing. Everything seemed to be going to wrong right now- Jasper and Alice fighting, my messed up powers, Samantha showing up, and now _this_.

"Bella?"

I ignored the voice, concentrating instead on my misery. I felt two stone arms wrap around me, pulling me into a muscular chest.

"Bella, sweetheart… what's wrong?" Edward asked, smoothing my hair out of my face.

"What _isn't_ wrong?" I sobbed into his chest.

He was silent for a long moment, just running his fingers through my hair.

"Did something happen, love?"

I didn't reply, choosing instead to wrap my arms around him tightly and try to borrow as deep into his chest as I could.

"Bella… please, talk to me," I could hear the pleading in his voice, but I couldn't bring myself to do as he asked. He would be _livid_. I was angry at Jasper- but he was still my brother, and I didn't want to sic an angry Edward on him.

"Bella?" I heard someone calling. "Bella, where are you- oh!"

I looked away from Edward's chest, turning my eyes to Jasper as he took a tentative step into the clearing. I felt Edward stiffen beneath me, and, to my confusion, he began to growl.

I realized a moment to late that he had read Jasper's mind and seen what I had been unable to tell him.

"You bastard!" he bellowed, leaping at Jasper. "She was trying to help you and you _hit_ her?!"

"Edward- stop it!" I cried out as he through Jasper against a tree, cleaving it clean in two.Jasper growled, jumping to his feet and shaking the splinters off him before he leapt at Edward, giving him a punch across the jaw that sent him reeling back. "Jasper, don't!"

"It was an accident," Jasper hissed, pulling Edward back up by his shirt. Edward grabbed him arms and wrenched them away before tackling Jasper and taking him down by the stomach.

"It wasn't an _accident_," hissed Edward. "You just couldn't stand the thought that maybe- just _maybe_- Bella was right, and it _was_ your fault that you and Alice are at odds right now."

He slammed Jasper's head into the ground as he said this. Jasper growled and grabbed Edward's arms, trying to roll him over, which caused the two to start wrestling on the ground like a pair of sixth graders. I circled around them, trying to see some opening I could use to pry them apart.

"It's nothing to do with you, _anyways_," Jasper growled.

"Yes it damn well is!" replied Edward. "How would you like it if I went and slapped Alice?"

"Alice is my wife!"

"And Bella is mine!"

We all paused at Edward's words. I gaped at him, his eyes shot to mine, and Jasper seemed uncertain whether to look at Edward or me. He settled for alternating his gaze between us.

"I came to apologize and… I'll talk to you later Bella… I really am sorry."

I hardly noticed he was speaking to me, and I _didn't_ notice when he disentangled himself from Edward to quickly leave the clearing. I was too busy staring open mouthed and inelegantly at Edward.

"You… I… _wife_?" I managed to get out incredulously.

Edward clambered to his feet- showing the first lack in grace he had since I had met him.

"I know it's soon… and, well… soon… but- would you want that, Bella? Would you want to be my wife?" his eyes were bright and hopeful and made my mouth go dry.

"Are you proposing to me, Edward?" I asked, slightly hysterical. "_Now_?"

"Why not now?" he replied, his golden eyes bright.

"Maybe because everything's gone to hell in a hand basket lately," I replied dryly. "Now is _not_ the time to talk marriage."

"I think it is," he replied. "For the reasons you think it's not. Everything _is_ going wrong Bella… why do we have to as well?"

"We're not going wrong," I told him, definitely hysterical now. "And… Edward- I'm _not_ ready for marriage… it requires a dress and rings and vows… and… and… a _wedding_."

"I know what marriage entails, Bella," Edward pointed out dryly. "And you're leaving out cherishing each other forever, and promises to stay loyal and to always love each other."

"I think that falls under the heading _'vows'_."

"Do you not want to make those promises?" he asked, his eyes reflecting hurt.

"No!" I replied emphatically. "I _do_ want to make those promises to you… it's just…"

"It's just what?"

"I don't remember much of my human life, Edward," I told him softly, looking up into his topaz eyes. "But from what I _do_ remember, marriage was kind of the kiss of death for my parents."

"And you think it will be for us, as well?" Edward asked, turning away from me.

"No," I told him. "I just think it's too soon for us to get married. Edward, we haven't even known each other a year. Just four months ago I nearly got myself _and_ Jasper killed in Italy- you do recall, Italy, right? And three months before that you took off and left me. We have a long ways to go and a lot of trust issues to take care of," I grasped his face in my hands and pulled him down for a searing kiss. "I love, and I _will_ marry you someday- but that time is not now."

He wrapped his arms around me snugly.

"So… you're not saying yes."

"I'm not saying no, either- I'm saying someday."

"Someday," Edward mused. "I can work with that."

I melted against him as he pulled me into a kiss to seal the promise.

So maybe _everything_ hadn't gone to hell.


	8. Losing My Religion

_**A/N: Okay- so life's pretty hectic right now. Add that to the fact that I'm sort of in a writing funk for this story, and updates will be slow. I hope you understand. Anyways, the story lines are going to start coming together in this chapter, so please enjoy:**_

_Seven. Losing My Religion_

Edward and I finally made it back to the house. I bit my lip as we entered, feeling the tension surround me once more. It had been so easy to pretend for just a moment that everything was all right.

It was impossible to keep up the charade when we entered the house to see Alice and Samantha sitting in chairs across from one another in the living room. Emmett sat on the couch between them looking uncertainly from one female to the other.

"Thank God you two are back!" he said as soon as we entered the room. "You two can take a turn ensuring peace- I'm outta here!"

"Emmett-" Edward began.

"Too late," I sighed as our brother zoomed by us before Edward could finish what it was he was about to say.

"We don't require a baby-sitter," Alice said coldly. "I'm not about to attack an amnesiac because my husband is an idiot."

I looked at Edward, who stared back at me.

_'We shouldn't leave them alone,'_ I told him, and he nodded almost imperceptibly. We sat down on the couch that Emmett had vacated. I understood why Emmett had left as the awkward silence washed over us.

"I'm Samantha, apparently," Samantha said at last. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

Alice sneered at her darkly, but didn't say anything.

"Uh… I'm Bella," I told her. "And this is Edward."

"Her… boyfriend," Edward added. I could tell he wanted to be able to say fiancée, or even _wife_, but he respected my wishes for time.

I fell in love with him a little more.

"It's nice to meet you..." she looked at me. "You're one of the ones that was with me when I woke up you and… Ra…Ro… it started with an 'r'."

"Rosalie," I told her. Alice shot me glare- she obviously felt I was being too nice to Samantha.

"That's it," Sam agreed. "She was very beautiful."

"It's what she brought with her from her human life," Alice grumbled darkly, standing up. "I'm going to go find _my_ husband- we need to talk."

The emphasis on 'my' was obviously meant to tell Samantha to be careful.

"Who's her husband?" Samantha asked curiously.

"Jasper," I replied quickly. "They're very in love."

I may be angry at Jasper- but I was still holding out for him and Alice.

"Jasper… I thought…" Samantha broke off and looked away.

"We don't know much about your past with Jasper, Samantha," I said softly. "But he and Alice have been married a long time."

"But they're arguing right now?" Samantha asked, her expression thoughtful and calculating as she gazed in the direction Alice had left.

"They argue every now and then," Edward replied. "They'll make up- they love each other too much to stay mad forever."

"Of course," replied Samantha, but her gaze was still calculating, making me uneasy and wishing for the entire world that I could read minds like Edward. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go relax my room."

She went in the direction Alice had gone. As soon as I felt she was far enough, I looked at Edward.

"What was she thinking?" I asked immediately.

"I don't know," Edward replied, frowning in the direction she had gone.

"You don't _know_?" I asked incredulously. "Is she like me? Can you not read her mind?"

"I can't read _anyone's_ mind right now, Bella," he told me. "Your powers are making it impossible- Jasper and Alice can't use theirs either, remember? Not on anyone in the house."

"But in the forest… I just assumed you had read Jasper's mind…" I trailed off uncertainly.

"I had," Edward agreed. "But we weren't in the house… your powers let up enough that I could use mine. As soon as we came back, I lost he ability again."

"Oh…" if I could still blush, I would've. "I'm sorry… I wish I could control this better!"

"Don't worry, Bella," Edward wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his lap. "No one blames you- the tension makes us all uncomfortable. It's probably for the best that your powers block us all form Jasper's ability. If they didn't, I doubt there would be anyone still… existing."

I laid my head against his chest, breathing the uniquely Edward scent that always had my senses reeling.

"You know- something Alice said is kind of bugging me," I told him.

"What?" he asked, curiously.

"Well… back when you first turned me, you said that Rosalie had brought her hard-headedness from her human life. Alice however, said she had brought her beauty," I gave his chest a smack. "Why would you lie to me?"

"Er… I… I don't know?"

I couldn't help but laugh- rarely did I succeed in making Edward speechless. He was always so cute in that state.

"Well- don't do it again," I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a quick kiss, breaking away after a few seconds. "Besides, I always kind of had my suspicions. There's no way that anyone can be _that_ beautiful and not have it be their gift- it would be totally unfair."

"And the ability to block our powers isn't?" Edward asked, pulling me in for a longer kiss.

"I don't think it is," I retorted pertly, breaking away once more. "I should check my e-mail. I'm hoping Andy will be able to tell me how his meeting went soon."

"Do you have to?" Edward whined as I sat down on the floor in front of the coffee table where a lap top sat. I opened it and logged into my e-mail.

"Stop that," I said, moving my head forward when Edward began to kiss my neck. "It's distracting."

"Mmmm- that's why I'm doing it," he replied, pulling me up into his lap before clicking on the inbox icon. "Looks like he replied."

"So I can see," I moaned as Edward began to kiss my neck again. I took a deep breath to steel myself and pushed his head away. "Stop distracting- what if they need our help?"

"They'll survive- a couple of adolescent werewolves have nothing on the Volturi."

"If you behave now, I'll reward you later," I enticed him. "I'll even wear that little blue number you love me in so much."

"Ah- you drive a hard bargain, Isabella," he pressed a kiss to my temple. "I'm holding you to that promise."

I grinned at him and snuggled back into his chest, then opened up the e-mail from Andy.

'_Bella-_

_I don't have time to give details now. Me and Tia are on our way. The Quileutes are your guys- and they're doing what they're doing in _your_ name. They want vengeance, and they don't plan on stopping until they get it. We'll see you soon._

_Andy'_

"Well," I said, shooting upright as I read the message. "That's a real mood killer."


	9. Making Up and Moving On

_**A/N: I'm baaaaaaaack! After a long break, I've finally found some inspiration in the form of Good Charlotte and Taylor Swift- odd combination, eh? Well, here's chapter eight- I hope it's good, my writing skills are a bit rusty. Updates still won't be that often- I have a summer job that's pretty much full time, so I don't have much time to write. Please enjoy:**_

_Eight. Making Up and Moving On_

"We'll have to tell the others about this," Edward said, gently removing me from his lap so he could get up. "I'll tell Carlisle to call a family meeting."

I nodded, happy to let Edward take charge for the moment.

Within minutes the entire Cullen family plus Samantha were sitting in the living room. I spared a moment of unease when I saw Sam sit next to Jasper and Alice sit as far away from him as possible, before I turned my attention to the problem at hand.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

"I got a reply from Andy. He spoke to the Quileutes- they're the ones that are destroying the vampires," I explained.

"Did he say why?" Carlisle asked.

"They know that I killed Bella- whether or not they know she's one of us we don't know," replied Edward. "Andrew didn't say that much."

"Can I read the e-mail?" Alice asked. I handed her the lap top and she quickly read the short message. "Well… this isn't good," she handed the computer to Carlisle who read it as well.

"It isn't good," he agreed. "But we can't do anything until Andrew and Tiazza arrive. We'll know more once Andrew has explained everything to us and will be able to act accordingly."

"Would anyone care to explain what's going on?" Sam asked.

Alice looked ready to say something, but Rose beat her to it.

"No, we wouldn't care to explain _anything_ to you. It's really none of your business."

Obviously she had noticed Sam's closeness to Jasper and liked it as much as I did.

"Rosalie," Carlisle admonished. "She has a right to know what's going on," he turned to speak to Sam and Rose looked at me with a sour look that I grinned at ruefully. I wished Carlisle would be a little less nice to Sam as well. "There have been a series of vampire killings, Samantha. They were located in the area around our old home, so we asked a friend- a werewolf, in fact- to speak to the pack that lives on the reserve near Forks. Apparently it's this pack that has been doing the killing."

"What are you going to do?" she asked, shivering and moving closer to Jasper, who patted her shoulder softly. "Even the thought of a werewolf makes me shiver."

Jasper frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"You've never been afraid of werewolves," he said. "You always believed to low to effect you."

Sam frowned.

"But that's not possible," she argued. "Just thinking about them- it frightens me."

Carlisle surveyed Sam with contemplation.

"Do you remember _anything_ prior to awakening here, Samantha?" he asked. "Even the smallest thing about where your coven is?"

Sam closed her eyes and furrowed her brow, thinking silently for a moment. Her eyes then snapped open and she shook her head angrily.

"I can't remember a thing!" she wailed.

"It's okay, Sam," Jasper pulled her into a comforting hug. "It'll come- have patience."

Alice snorted and left the room angrily. The silence of the house was disrupted by the sound of the door as Alice slammed it. I watched her go sadly, then turned my eyes to Jasper and glared at him. He met my gaze unapologetically and I rolled my eyes.

"We can't do anything until Andrew and Tia come and we know more," I said. "Perhaps we should put off making a decision until they arrive?"

Carlisle read the hidden agenda in my words and nodded his head, giving permission for me to leave and go after Alice. Rosalie followed me and we silently followed Alice's scent. She had gone into the forest, so Rosalie and I followed the trail. We came upon our sister five minutes later in a small clearing. She sat with her back resting against a tall oak tree. Her eyes were closed and she seemed so small- so lost.

"It's over," she said, her voice tired and devoid of emotion as Rose and I left the cover of the trees.

"What do you mean? What's over?" Rose asked. Like me, I could tell she didn't really want to know- but we had to ask.

"Jasper and I- we're done," Alice replied.

"C'mon Ally- that's not true," I said, sitting next to her. "You're going through a rough patch-"

"She was his first, Bella- and she'll be his last. I was just someone to fill the gap she had left… I've seen it. There's no hope…" Alice stared ahead into nothingness.

"He loves _you_, Alice- he wouldn't have stayed by your side for over fifty years if he didn't."

"He was by hers for far longer and he left," Alice replied bitterly. "What makes you think he couldn't discard me just as easily?"

I hadn't thought of it that way- Rose hadn't either, by the look on her face.

"How could you have seen it?" Rose asked. "I thought no one's powers were working but Bella's…"

"They work if you're away from the house," I replied, remembering that Edward had been able to read Jasper's mind after Jasper had hit me. "You just had a vision… what was it of?"

"The little slut seducing my husband- and Jasper not stopping her," Alice hissed angrily. "Well- I'm happy for them! The adulterer and his dirty little mistress. They'll make a wonderful couple."

I had never heard Alice sound so angry and bitter- I didn't know how to react.

Rose, however, did.

Bringing her hand back, she slapped Alice full across the face with a loud smack that sent the smaller vampire's head snapping to the side.

"What the-"

Rose interrupted Alice's rant before it could begin.

"Fight for him," she hissed. "Of course he'll give into her if you don't fight for him- he probably thinks that you don't care about him anymore."

"If he thinks that he's an idi-"

"Have you given him a sign since this stupid fight began? Have you given him any reason to believe that you still feel for him? He's been trying to talk to you- I've _heard_ him. You just ignore him. Why should he stay loyal to you if you don't appear to _care_ about him anymore? If you love him, you will fight for him Alice. You've seen what's going to happen- now _stop_ it. Go to him and make up already! We have enough to deal with without the two of you being at odds!"

Alice was speechless, staring in open-mouthed shock at Rose.

"Rosalie is right," I said softly. "Jasper can't feel what you're feeling right now- my power is preventing that. He's running blind, Alice, and he hasn't done that for a while. As in tune to emotions as he usually is, his powers have made him quite clueless when he doesn't have them. Go to him- talk to him… it's wrong, for the two of you to be separated like you are."

"What if he doesn't love me anymore?" Alice choked out, refusing to let her tears fall.

"Then we'll help you hide the body," Rose replied with a small smile. "But he does love you, so that's moot point."

Alice didn't say anything, just sat there for a while, then turned her head back to stare up at the stars.

"It's a nice night," she said after a while. "Really clear."

"Magical," I agreed. "A good night for starting again."

"Thank-you," Alice whispered softly. "Both of you… I'm sorry I've been so selfish."

"You're forgiven… now go get your man."

Alice didn't need to be told twice and she shot off in the direction of the house.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" I asked.

"Yes," Rose replied, her voice confident. "And they'll come out all the more united, because they'll know what it's like to have been without each other."

"You're a wise woman, Rosalie," I said softly.

Rose gave a small smirk.

"I know- but keep it on the down low, okay? I have an image to keep up."

I laughed at her words and jumped to my feet.

"I'll remember that. C'mon, we should be heading back."

The two of us began the trek back to the house in comfortable silence, both confident that Alice and Jasper would be well on the way to making up and moving on by the time we got there.

Of course, neither of us had really taken into consideration the fact that Samantha would _also_ be there. We were both surprised when we saw her sitting on the steps to the house, glaring darkly at us as we approached.

"I hope you're happy," she growled when we were close enough.

"Er… about what?" I asked.

"I had him- he was willing, he would have been _mine_. Then that little bitch came and suddenly it was like I didn't even _exist_," her red eyes almost seemed to glow as she glared at us. "He belong to _me_. I had him first- and I'll have him last."

"It sounds to me like Alice has him, actually," Rose replied coolly.

"Not for long," Sam replied. "I'll have him back, and that little whore will wish she had never met me."

"Are you threatening Alice?" I demanded, and unfamiliar territorial feeling rising up in me. This… this… _charlatan_ was threatening my sister!

"Take it however you want- although I'd consider it a warning. I _don't_ share my belongings- and Jasper is mine."

"No- he's Alice's, and _our_ brother," I replied angrily. "You won't have him, _Samantha_. We won't let you."

Sam snorted and stood up.

"You won't be able to stop me, _Isabella_. I'm much older and more powerful than you. I may not have my memories, but my instincts are as good as ever- and time has made them _much_ sharper than yours," she stood up. "I won't give him up. I'll let Alice have this round- but I'll be back, and then he'll be mine."

Rose and I growled at her, but Sam didn't react. She just stood up and disappeared into the forest.

"We have to tell Carlisle," Rose said at last.

"Just what we need," I sighed. "First vengeful werewolves, and now a jealous vampire. Why can't we ever have normal problems… like, I don't know… termites?"

_**A/N2: Okay, now I need some input. Do you want the next chapter to go straight to Rose and Bella talking to Carlisle and Tia and Andy arriving, or do you want to find out what happened between Alice and Jasper? If you choose the second choice, the chapter will probably be a pretty short one that's up before the weekend. Please review and tell me!!**_


	10. Where I Belong

_**A/N: Well, here is the Jasper/Alice chapter- written from Jasper's POV, because, in case you didn't notice, I love my Jasper. Plus Alice just wouldn't cooperate and let me write her- I tried, I truly did! I'm finding it amazing how characters write themselves, though. When I started this, Sam was supposed to be kind of shy and hurt, desperately needing Jasper's help. Now she's turning into a vindictive little bitch- I guess that's how she wanted to be. Her power even changed- it was supposed to be the power of remaining inconspicuous, then it became… well, you'll see.**_

_**Please enjoy:**_

_Nine. Where I Belong_

"You'll keep me safe, won't you?"

I looked up at Sam blankly for a moment. I had forgotten she was still in the room; I was so caught up in my despair over Alice. So used to being able to feel the emotions of others was I that I hadn't even noticed when my own wife fell out of love with me without the power.

"Yeah," I told Sam, my voice distant. "I'll make sure you stay safe."

I buried my hands in my hair and looked down at the floor once more, glaring as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. It wasn't, by the way- it was just a floor made out of wood panelling- but if I focused hard enough on the patterns of the wood, I could almost forget the sight of Alice walking away.

Almost.

Not really.

Not even close- I just enjoyed deluding myself.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" Sam purred. I felt her grab my arm and rub her body along mine. I glanced up into her red eyes and for a moment it was as if I were a hundred years in the past- gone was the wary uncertainty that had clouded her eyes since she had awoken. A different look had replaced it- one I should have recognized, but couldn't quite place.

Her emotions, however, I could recognize.

Lust.

For me.

As she leaned down to brush her lips against mine, I vaguely realized that the return of my powers meant that Bella was gone. I didn't have much time to ponder that- Sam had soon distracted me by pushing me on my back and straddling me.

"Sam… this isn't right. I'm married-"

"Alice doesn't want you- I do. We both know that," Sam's ran her hand down my chest, removing the buttons of my shirt with her long, sharp nails. They had always been her pride and joy- long, vicious claws that never broke, and that could leave a mark on even the toughest vampire.

Nails that used to leave long scratches down my back in the throe-

I pushed the memory away mentally as I physically pushed Sam off my body.

"I'm married, Samantha," I growled. "And until I have a paper in front of me saying otherwise, I'll stay married- _and loyal_- to my wife!"

Sam pouted up at me from where she had landed in an undignified pile on the floor.

"She doesn't want you Jasper- surely you realize that? She doesn't want you, and she certainly _doesn't_ deserve you!" She stood up and ran her nails down my chest. "I love you Jasper. I don't remember my past- but I _do_ remember that. And you loved me, once. I'm sure of that."

She pressed her lips to mine and I allowed her to kiss me for a moment, and then broke away, remembering the danger in allowing her to continue.

"I don't know if it was ever love, Sam. We were lonely… you can't know it was love. You don't remember… do you?"

I felt an unknown emotion flash within Sam for a moment, before it was gone, leaving the feeling of lust.

"I don't have to remember to feel, Jasper. We were together once- we loved once-"

"You were also with Aries and Willem before me," I replied harshly. "I love Alice, Sam- and until she tells me she doesn't want me anymore, I'll stay by her side."

Anger welled within Sam as she glared down at me.

"I can make you love me, you know. I may not remember my life, but I _do_ remember my power."

I remembered her power as well- the ability to drive a man to insanity from lust for her. She had never used it on him before- hadn't needed to until he had left, and then hadn't wanted to- but he had seen her use it. It was a powerful tool for hunting.

"It wouldn't be love- it would be lust, and an empty lust at that, since it wouldn't actually be my emotions I was feeling."

Sam glowered at me, her eyes glowing faintly. I suddenly found myself wanting to claim those full lips of her… to remove the barriers separating us…

I was reaching for her shirt when Alice's voice cut through the lust-induced fog of my mind.

"Get off of my husband, Samantha. I don't share- especially not with slutty little bitches like _you_."

I blinked groggily at Alice. Emotions emanated from her like waves, and I allowed them to wash over me. Anger, hurt, jealousy…

_Love._

The last one was stronger than all the rest, and I revelled in it. _God_, but I had missed that feeling. The feeling of unrivalled love… of Alice love for me.

"Ally…" I murmured, not even noticing Samantha, who still straddled my waist. She was beautiful, but nothing compared to Alice- my love, my life.

_My angel…_

I removed Sam from my waist, hardly even noticing what I was doing. All I knew was that Alice stood there in pain and still in love with _me_. God knew I didn't deserve her love, but she gave it to me anyway.

"Alice," I breathed, running my knuckles against her flawless cheek. Giving a tearless sob, I buried my face in her short hair and breathed in her intoxicating scent. I loved the smell of Alice- so fresh, so sweet, with my own scent intermingled, showing the world exactly _who_ she belonged to.

"I love you Ally," I murmured into her hair. "I know I haven't been showing you that lately- but I do. I love you more than life. Please, please tell me it's not over- please tell me that I haven't pushed you too far."

"Never," Alice replied, hugging me tightly. "Never, ever. I love you too Jasper- please, please forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive," I pulled back to cup her cheeks with my hands. "I've been an idiot. If I had visions, and I saw you in the arms of another man…" I shook my head ruefully. "I would have hunted down the bastard and killed him as soon as they started. It's me who should be apologizing. Can you forgive me, love?"

"Always," she replied against my lips as she pulled me in for a searing kiss.

I didn't notice when Samantha left, or when Bella and Rose entered the house. All I knew that I was back in Alice's arms.

Back where I belonged.


	11. Fire In The Sky

_**A/N: Well, here is chapter ten. It's a sort of filler chapter, but Andy and Tia come in- so yay! It may be a little bit before I write again after this. We're starting to get into the heavy plot, and I need to consider hard how I want this to go, especially with Samantha going and screwing up all my plans by making her personality take a one eighty. Please be patient and bear with me. Now, without further ado:**_

_Ten. Fire In The Sky_

"They work fast," muttered Rose when we entered the house, only to see Jasper and Alice locked in a passionate kiss. If she had expected the comment to get a rise out of either of them, she was wrong. They just continued to check one another's teeth.

"Well… at least they aren't fighting anymore. Let's go talk to Carlisle and leave the young lovers alone."

"They're not young," Rose argued, even as she let me drag her away. "Jasper's older than both of us combined."

"I didn't mean for my words to be taken literally, Rose- it's a figure of speech."

Rosalie didn't reply, she just pulled her arm from my grip and took the lead on the way to Carlisle's office. On our way, we passed Emmett and Edward.

"You don't want to go down there," Rose informed them. "Chances are that Jasper and Alice have progressed from kissing to other things."

"I know," Edward replied, his face pale. "I can hear their thoughts."

His words made us all pause for a moment, before Edward let out a joyful 'whoop.'

"I can hear their thoughts inside the house again!" he said joyfully. He stopped his celebrating for a moment to scowl lightly at me. "I'm not acting like an immature little boy, either."

I quickly slammed up the blocks against him and gave him a scowl. My powers had been acting without my control for so long that, once the tension had lessened and my powers calmed, I hadn't even thought to put the block back up.

"No mindsdropping," I informed him. "You might not like what you hear."

Edward merely grinned at me and grabbed me up to kiss me, swinging me around playfully as he did so.

"It's amazing," mused Carlisle from where he now stood watching us in the door to his office. "How quickly the tension has lessened now that Alice and Jasper are… uh… together once more."

I hid my grin in Edward's neck at Carlisle's choice of words. I wondered if it was just me, or if he had been unable to just come out and say that they had been making out, getting hot and heavy, snogging- whatever word you wanted to use. I let my block down for a moment to ask Edward.

He quickly muffled his laughter in my hair, leaving Emmett, Rose, and Carlisle to look at us with bemusement.

"I believe I heard you two girls saying you wished to speak to me," Carlisle stated, choosing to change the subject rather than question Edward and me's odd behaviour.

That caused both Rose and I to become sombre.

"Yeah," she said. "It's about Samantha…"

She looked at me to continue and I looked back wide-eyed- no way was I doing the talking!

"Well… one of you is going to have to speak," Emmett pointed out. "After all- we can't read your minds."

Rose and I both looked at Edward who looked back for a moment, then sighed.

"You know- you really should be able to do this yourselves," he stated. "It's not that difficult," he looked at Carlisle. "Samantha has run off, but only after telling Rose and Bella that she would be back to steal Jasper from Alice…" he trailed off for a moment, an odd smile crossing his lips. "And apparently Bella wishes to know why we couldn't have a simple problem- like termites."

"Termites are hardly a simple problem," Carlisle told me. "They're nearly impossible to get rid of without one of those disgusting tents, and the scent of the insecticide never truly leaves, at least not for a vampire. No, our current problems are much more easily dealt with than termites… at least that's what Esme tells me."

I could imagine Esme saying that quite easily. She loved the houses the family had acquired, and to consider termites the lesser of evils would probably be sacrilege to her.

I resolved to make sure no one ever told her about that little comment- I didn't want to face my adoptive mother's reaction.

"This situation with Samantha…" Carlisle sighed. "We can't do much until she returns. With the Quileutes so close and Andrew and Tiazza on the way, we can't afford to be separated. Not until we know what we're up against."

"We can't just let her get away with threatening our family!" Emmett argued.

"And we _won't_," Carlisle replied, cutting Emmett off before he could begin a rant. "We'll bide our time until she returns. Hopefully we'll have a plan by then."

"I hope so too," Rosalie agreed. "After all- _'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned_._'_ And I have a feeling her fury might be worse than others."

I didn't say anything, though I silently agreed with Rose. I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder and smiled back at Edward, who pulled me back against his chest and rested his chin on my head.

"I suppose we'll have to wait until Tia and Andy get here to do anything, then," I sighed, melting back into Edward's arms.

"Yes," agreed Carlisle. "They should be here soon… no more than a couple of-"

He was cut off by the sound of Good Charlotte's "The River"- my newest ring tone.

"It's Tia," I said, looking at the caller idea. "Or at least it's her phone."

I flipped the cell open and pressed 'talk.'

"Hello?"

"Hi to you as well," Andrew's voice, a smooth voice with a distinct Scottish lilt, replied.

"Andy… is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, not particularly… unless you count the fact that we can't find your bloody house! You're terrible at giving dire-"

Andrew's rant was cut off by the sound of a scrabble. Finally Tia's voice spoke.

"Sorry about that, Bella. He's just grumpy- I made him eat at the MacDonald's drive thru, and he was less than pleased," I could hear Andrew grumbling in the background and practically see Tia rolled her eyes. "What he was _trying_ to say was that your directions seem to be a little… off. Could you give them to me again?"

I gave her the directions I had given Andrew when he had called from Forks.

"Well- that explains it. It's not Bella's fault, Shiloh- it's yours! You took a left at Junction 345 instead of a right. Honestly- it's a wonder these men can do _anything_ without a woman breathing down their neck."

I laughed as Andrew tried to argue that I had told him to take a left- something I knew for a fact I hadn't done.

"We'll be there in ten minutes," Tia informed me. "I hope you have something to feed puppy here- he gets grumpy if he isn't fed at least five times a day."

I heard Andrew protest once more and assured Tia, in between my laughs, that we did indeed have food for him. Esme had went shopping to ensure that the werewolf would not go hungry.

"If you're where I think you are, it will take more than ten minutes to get here," I told Tia once I had calmed down.

"Not at the speed _I'm _driving," she replied. "We'll be there in ten. Bye, Bella."

"I'll see you soon, Tia."

I heard the click of Tia's cell disconnecting, then hung up my own.

"She said they'll be here in ten minutes," I told everyone, even though I knew they had heard the entire conversation perfectly well.

"So we heard," Rose said dryly. "Well- let's go separate the love birds down stairs and get Esme so we can greet our guests."

Esme was gathered and Jasper and Alice's "love fest" doused (quite literally). Tia and Andrew were greeted twelve minutes later by the sight of Emmett being chased by a soaking Alice who was angrily waving her fist after him and shouting obscenities in three different languages.

"Do I want to know what that's about?" Tia asked, watching Alice and Emmett for a moment, before raising her eyebrows at Jasper (also soaking) and looking at me.

"Probably not," I replied. "What happened is exactly what it looks like, anyways, so I'm pretty sure you can create a pretty reliable picture of what happened by yourself."

"Probably," Tia agreed and asked no more.

"Come inside," Carlisle said. "No need to stay out here. Jasper, could you please gather Emmett and Alice and bring them in as well?"

Jasper nodded and took off after his brother and wife. The rest of us went inside to sit in the living room.

"I'd ask how you were doing and what not," Andrew said, sitting down. "But I doubt you really want to engage in small talk at the moment- and I don't either."

"You'd be right," Carlisle agreed. "You spoke to the Quileutes?"

"Aye," he agreed. "A bunch of pups who's leader has about as much control in his entire body as any member of my pack had in their pinky… perhaps their hand in the worst cases."

My curiosity was piqued by this mention of his pack- Tia had known little about them and Andrew wasn't exactly talkative on the topic- but I knew better than to ask at the moment.

"You said they want us," Jasper said, herding Alice and a now soaking-as-well Emmett into the living room. Alice must have introduced him to the lake located about a mile away.

"They do," agreed Andrew. "Apparently you broke a treaty you had with them?"

The Cullens all avoided meeting each other- or anyone else's- eye.

"What treaty was it you broke?" Tia asked softly.

"We said we wouldn't attack any humans in their area, or go on their land," Carlisle replied.

"And when Edward bit Bella, you broke the treaty," Andrew concluded. "Your father would have been the prominent man of Forks that the alpha spoke of."

"Charlie," I said, screwing up my face in concentration to remember. "Charlie was the police chief in Forks… he had friends down at the reserve. They probably took my… death… personally."

"Can you think of anyone that would be high enough in the Quileute ladder to order the hunting of your family?" Tia asked. "It would help us form a plan if we knew where the source was."

I screwed up my face, trying to think of anyone who could possibly take this personally enough to warrant the hunting of Washington's vampires.

"No, dammit," I said at last. "I hardly remember my parents, and I hadn't seen anyone from the reserve since I was fourteen. Their faces are long gone from my memory."

Tia patted my arm in a comforting fashion.

"Don't beat yourself up. I remember what it's like to lose the memories. It's difficult, but it happens to everyone."

I gave her a weak smile, but didn't reply.

"Well," Andrew said, breaking the silence that had surrounded us. "As much as I'd like to plan, I'm no use to you with an empty stomach," he gave Esme the puppy dog eyes (werewolves, it seems, are very good at the look). "You wouldn't happen to be willing to feed a starving puppy, would you?"

_**A/N2: Well, that's chapter ten. Now, I have a couple of questions to put forward. Question number one: does anyone know any **_**really really**_** good Twilight fanfics I could read? I don't really have time to scour through all the stories, and I find myself hungering for a really well written, multi chapter, preferably finished story- although that last one isn't a necessity.**_

_**The other question I have is whether or not anyone would be interested in me expanding my "Love Like Winter" one shot about Tia and Andrew into a multi-chapter story that detailed everything from their meeting until his imprisonment in Volterra. People seem to like them, so I was wondering if there was any interest. If not, I'll probably just amuse myself (and you) by writing a few one-shots based in this world I've created once I've finished this story- because, sad as I am to say it- Midnight Flame will be the last multi-chapter story in this little series (except one that will only be a few chapters long- maybe five- and really fluffy, so not really counting as one of the long ones).**_

_**Well, I am now done my long, rambling author's note. Thanks for your patience and please review.**_


	12. Beginning of the End

_**A.N: Okay- so I loved **_**Eclipse**_**. It was awesome- and it got me back into what I call **_**The Twilight Frame Of Mind**_**- and yes, the capitals are necessary. This is chapter eleven- it's not very exciting, more just laying the first steps towards the occurrence of the real plot. Thanks to all who reviewed, and thanks for being so patient with me. Please enjoy:**_

_Eleven. Beginning of the End_

"You have no idea how good this tastes," Andrew told me through a mouthful of bread and roast beef. "It's like a bloody five star meal."

"That's because the last thing you had was a hamburger from McDonald's, love… and could you please swallow before you speak? The sight of you eating is making me slightly nauseous," Tiazza screwed up her nose at the sight of Andy and his eating habits.

"You can't get nauseous," Andy mumbled, but he swallowed the food and took a hearty gulp of milk before speaking again. "The best idea would be for all of you to get of here- maybe go over seas for a few decades. By then the Quileute pack should all have died out. They're one of the packs who are only born when there are vampires around- their blood's too weak for them to phase other wise."

"There are packs that turn anyways?" Carlisle asked curiously, and Andy nodded.

"My old pack is one. The blood of the wolves runs strong through us. Occasionally a member will marry an outsider, but for the most part our mates are other wolves."

"Where is your pack from?" I asked.

Andy began eating his sandwich again, acting as if he hadn't heard me. Tia smacked him on the arm.

"C'mon, Lassie- she was just asking a simple question. Answer it."

Andrew sighed and swallowed his mouthful of meat and bread.

"The Scottish Highlands," he said at last. "We've lived there since… well… we're not entirely sure. Our pack has always lived there, even before other humans came. The story of how we came to be is similar to the theory of human evolution from primates, except we came from wolves," he shrugged. "It's a load of BS, if you ask me, but I can't be bothered to discover how we came to exist myself, so I just stick with that story."

"How many were in your pack?" asked Edward.

"What is this- interrogate the werewolf day?" Andrew snapped. Edward took a step back and raised his hands in the universal 'unarmed' position.

"Just curious," he said.

"Just read my mind if you're so damn curious," Andrew muttered sourly. Tia raised an eyebrow at him and he gave a sigh. "You're right, Tia. I'm sorry Edward- I just don't like to talk about the pack… it's kind of a sore spot."

He met Edward's eyes and obviously said something mentally because Edward inclined his head slightly and dropped the subject. I would have liked to have found out more, but I sighed mentally and changed the subject.

"Do you think that the Quileutes will find us here?" I asked.

Andrew shrugged.

"If they don't, it won't be from lack of trying. Still- this place _is_ pretty remote, and they have no clue where you are. I still say the best plan would be to disappear for a while, though- just in case. If they do come this far north, it'd be best if they found a cold trail."

Carlisle sighed.

"That may be the best plan," he agreed. "Although, I hate to leave when we just got settled in."

"Why should we leave?" growled Emmett. "We can take on a few pathetic mutts," he flexed his arms in anticipation. "I say let 'em come."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder.

"Of _course_ you'd say that," she muttered. "When do you _not_ want to fight?"

Emmett shrugged, grinning and giving her a kiss. Rose rolled her eyes once more, but didn't say anything else.

"We _could_ probably beat them," Andrew agreed. "There's only six of them… I just hate to have to fight against other werewolves. There's really not all that many of us to begin with- I'd hate to see a pack get killed off."

"And I see no reason for them too," Carlisle assured him. "We'll discuss leaving- but as you say, they may not even come this far north. Unless we have to, we won't start anything with them."

"What about the other vampires they've been killing?" Jasper asked.

"Who cares?" snorted Tia. "It's not as if they wouldn't have killed each other anyway."

"What if they do come?" I asked. "What will we do then?"

No one answered for a long moment. We all looked at Carlisle- even Tia and Andy- for his ruling.

"If it comes to that- then we'll have no choice but to defend ourselves and fight them."

"Don't worry, Bella," Andy slung his arm around my shoulders and squeezed them lightly, ignoring Edward's possessive growl and grinning down at me. "Even if they did decide to search Canada, this place is way too back wood for them to ever find without a personal guide, and who'd be willing to play _that_ part?"

Who indeed?

_Elsewhere_

I waited patiently in the clearing, vaguely wondering how long it would take the mutts to sense my presence on their land.

It wasn't long.

A large grey silhouette leapt at me, paws stretched out. I dodged him nimbly and ducked under one of his comrades attacks. We continued in this manner- they attack, I dodge- for a few more minutes until one of them, a large black one who was nearly invisible in the forest, managed to surprise me and pin me down.

"You can kill me," I told him softly. "But then you'll never find the Cullens. That is who you're looking for- right? The coven that murdered Isabella Swan?"

The wolf on top of me disappeared- replaced by a large, naked russet skinned male.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Samantha Bennet- and I can give you the information you need."

I couldn't hide the victorious smile from crossing my lips when the man stood up and motioned for me to follow him before he phased into a wolf once more. If Jasper wanted that little bitch Alice, then that was his decision.

I'd just make sure he lived to regret it.

_**A.N: Okay- everyone I told to withhold judgement on Samantha, forget I ever said that. Her character has gone in the polar opposite direction of what I planned. She's now the queen of bitches and you're welcome to hate her… although I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up surprising all of us (even me- she doesn't like it when I tell her what to do). **_

_**I'm still wondering about who's all interested in hearing Tia and Andy's story once this one is finished, so let me know.**_


	13. The Waiting Game

_**A.N: Okay, so this chapter is written a bit different than usual. Instead of being written in one POV, I have them from Bella, Andrew, Jasper, Esme, and Emmett. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy:**_

_Twelve. The Waiting Game_

We were caught in limbo.

We didn't know if the wolves would find us- or if they would stop looking at the border.

I didn't like being in limbo.

"Calm down Bella," Edward soothed from where he sat on our bed watching me pace. "There's nothing to worry about."

"I'm not _worried_," I retorted, pausing for only a second to glare at him. "I'm _frustrated_. I fell so useless! We can't do _anything_ because we don't really know anything- just that the Quileutes want our family dead. Aren't you the littlest bit frustrated about that?"

Edward stood up fluidly to come and lead me back to the bed. I thought about struggling, but tossed the thought aside. Pacing was doing nothing but make me more irritated.

Once I was on the bed and situated firmly in his arms, Edward answered the question.

"I am frustrated," he told me. "Of course I am- I hate not knowing what's going on as much as you. It's just… the ball's in their court, for lack of a better analogy. We can't do anything until they act. Hopefully Alice will have a vision then and… well, we'll work from there."

I gave an inelegant snort and got up to pace once more.

Behind me, Edward sighed.

_Andrew_

"This is driving me nuts!"

I sighed and rolled over on the bed in the room that the Cullens had made available for Tia and mine use.

"What's driving you nuts?" I asked dryly- not actually curious, but choosing to humour her, just because I loved her.

"This whole not doing anything… thing!" Tia replied, shooting me an angry glare that said quite clearly that she knew exactly what my tone meant, but was choosing to ignore it.

"Tia, come to bed," I told her, holding out my arms. "I can't sleep without my teddy bear, and a tired werewolf is a grumpy werewolf."

Tia rolled her eyes at me.

"Please, Lassie- I couldn't be compared to a teddy bear as a human, don't insult me by doing it when I'm a vampire. As for the whole sleep thing- you do it far too much."

I sighed again as Tia continued her angry pacing. She reminded me of a caged lioness, or maybe a tigress… she reminded me of a large, dangerous cat, anyways.

"You're comparing me to a large, dangerous cat again," Tia told me, mirroring my dry tone from earlier. "I can tell by the look in your eye- you seemed to get turned on by the thought of a lions and tigers."

"Lionesses and tigresses," I corrected her. "It's only the female wild cats that have that effect on me."

Tia raised an eyebrow at me and I raised one back. She shook her head and began to pace again.

I sighed.

_Esme_

Carlisle was worried.

Had anyone else- excepting Edward, Jasper, and, perhaps, Tiazza (for obvious reasons)- been in my place, they would have thought he looked as calm and collected as ever. He sat behind his desk, reading the morning paper as if he didn't have a care in the world.

I knew better.

I could see the signs of his stress in the way his shoulders hunched slightly- almost imperceptibly- forward. There were traces of it in the slight crease his thoughts caused between his eyes, which, if you looked closely, were looking at the paper, but not really seeing anything. Carlisle was worried.

That made me worried.

I set my book (a book on building houses by a man I could remember the name of… something Holmes) down on the table next to the chair I was curled up in so that I could move around to stand behind my husband.

"You're tense," I murmured, rubbing his shoulders. He closed his eyes and leant his head back against me, allowing me to rub the tense knots out of his shoulder blades.

"You're worried," I stated.

"I am," he agreed, not bothering to hide the truth as he might had I been anyone else- even Edward, who had been with him longer than anyone.

"Why?" I asked. "You said it yourself- chances are they won't find us here."

"I didn't want to worry the others," he replied, grasping my hand so he could kiss my palm. "I have a feeling, Esme."

"Not a good one, I take it?"

My weak attempt at humour fleshed an equally weak smile out of Carlisle, but at least he didn't look quite as worried.

"No, not a good one," the smile disappeared again and I felt a pang in my heart for the man I loved. He was so good- so caring… what effect must the news Andrew carried have on him? "They're going to find us, Esme. I can't say how I know, I just do."

"Perhaps we should leave, then," I murmured.

"They'll follow us. If they hurt an innocent- a human- in their pursuit of us… we can't risk that Esme."

"We can't risk our family, either," I murmured.

Carlisle didn't reply at first, choosing instead to pull me down into his lap and cradle me against him.

"I don't want to Esme… I don't know what to do."

I said nothing, allowing him to hold me and take whatever comfort he could in my presence.

Above my head, he sighed.

_Jasper_

I leant against the wall, watching Alice. She sat cross-legged on our shared bed, her eyes closed and her brow furrowed; concentrating on something only she could see.

The future.

I just stood, watching her- unable to help, but not able to let her out of my sight. We had been separated far too long by our stubbornness, and I wasn't willing to let her out of my sight.

Not for another fifty years, anyways.

Well- that wasn't entirely true. I would have to leave her side to have a long conversation with Bella (translation: beg for her forgiveness and pray to God that we could become as close as we were before). But after that, I would be like a magnet.

"I don't see anything coming," Alice growled at last, opening her eyes to look at me.

"That's a good thing, Ally," I said softly. "It means we're safe- that nothings coming."

"Do you really believe that?" she asked me, her voice anxious.

Truthfully, I didn't. I didn't need my empathy powers to sense the coming storm. To be cliché- _something wicked this way comes_.

I didn't want to worry Alice with these thoughts, but I didn't want to lie to her either. Instead, I chose the middle ground.

"I don't know, Alice," I murmured truthfully, flopping down on the bed next to her and pulling her thin frame into my arms. "I really don't know."

Alice held me as tightly as I held her and snuggled into my chest.

I laid my head on hers and closed my eyes with a sigh.

_Emmett_

Rosalie paced.

I sighed.

Rosalie paced some more.

I threw myself backwards on our bed with a loud groan.

Rosalie finally stopped pacing to look at me with a raised eyebrow.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Your pacing- it's making _me_ tired, and I'm just watching," I retorted. "Come lay with me Rose- you need to relax a bit."

"Samantha Bennet has threatened our sister, there's a pack of murderous werewolves after our… blood, for lack of a better term, and you want me to _relax_," she began to pace again. "Please be realistic Emmett."

I couldn't help rolling my eyes as I sat up once more and began watching Rose pace again. It made me slightly dizzy, so I decided to lay back down once more.

"I hate this," I told her, staring at the roof as it held all the answers.

It didn't- although I did notice a spider. Esme would freak if she knew about it.

I decided to spare the poor creature a lot of pain and not tell her.

"What exactly is it you hate?" Rose asked. "Because there's a lot of stuff you could hate, so I need specifics."

"I don't like waiting," I told her. I knew my voice was sullen, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "I don't like doing nothing while a bunch of mutts are planning the best way to have a vampire roast."

"Welcome to the club, Emmett," Rose replied, finally giving up her pacing in favour of sprawling out across my chest. He hair tickled my nose, so I moved the strand of delicate golden hair away. "We all hate waiting."

"I know, I know… I just hate it a little more than most people."

Rose smirked and pressed her lips to mine.

"Then I guess I'll just have to distract you."

As Rosalie's lips began to work their magic, I couldn't help but let out another sigh.

_Bella (Once Again)_

I was still pacing when Edward suddenly bolted upwards on the bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, worried because he looked so worried.

He held up a hand without answering, so I sat next to him on the bed silently, waiting for him to finish hearing whatever it was he was hearing.

"Dammit," he cursed, jumping off the bed.

"What is it?" I asked alarmed.

"Alice," was his short reply as he shot out the door. I was hot on his heels. He moved quickly from our room to Alice's, slamming the door open without knocking, and talking as soon as he could see the room's occupants. "How could the future just disappear like that? That only happens if someone's dead, doesn't it?"

"Yes… no… oh I don't know Edward! The future's never just… _disappeared_ before- not even when Bella uses her power. I see the rest of us, still- just not her."

"What's all this ruckus about?" Carlisle asked, entering the room followed closely by Esme. Emmett, Rose, Tia, and Andy trailed behind him and stood in the door way.

"Alice says that the future suddenly just disappeared. She was looking for the wolves, and suddenly there was nothing," Jasper shrugged helplessly. "Alice could explain it better."

We all looked at Alice, but she wasn't paying us any attention. Instead, her gaze was focused on Andrew, her face looking as if she had suddenly had an epiphany- and not a good one.

"Italy," she breathed.

"What?" replied Tia confused. "What does Italy have to do with the future disappearing?"

"In Italy, I never had any visions of Andrew- I've thought it was because Bella was using her power, but she didn't find out about her ability to affect others until after you and he had escaped. I _should've_ seen it when Jazz decided to help Bella get you out, Andrew- but I didn't. I never saw _anything_ about you."

"And…? I'm guessing you have some sort of a point," Andy pointed out dryly, earning an elbow to the ribs from Tia and a quiet growl from Jasper.

"My point is that I can't see werewolves- we have no way of knowing if they're coming. We're now officially working blind."


	14. Running Blind

_**A.N: Well, I just started typing this tonight, and the words kept coming until I had a chapter written out. Please enjoy:**_

_Thirteen. Running Blind_

Alice's statement was followed by complete silence. No one spoke- no one even moved. The only sound was Andy's soft breathing- the rest of us having stopped in our shock.

"Well… that sucks," Emmett said at last, breaking the silence.

"It does," agreed Andrew. "But the situation isn't impossible- you just have to be prepared to take on a bunch of wolves at any point in time."

"It should be fun," Emmett stated, nodding slightly to myself.

Andrew looked at him thoughtfully. At first I thought he was the thinking along the same lines as me- that Emmett was utterly insane- but then he said something that made me realize just how alike the two overly large men were.

"I agree. I haven't really had the chance to do something this entertaining in a while, what with having been locked up in Volterra and all."

"You. Two. Are. Total. And. Complete. Idiots!" Rosalie thundered, emphasizing each word. "This won't be fun. It won't be-be… _entertaining_. We are talking about a bunch of… _giant wolves_ who are after our blood!!"

"Rosalie is right," agreed Tia, glaring at Andrew who looked back and gave an unapologetic shrug. "This is dangerous. We have no way of knowing when, or if, they'll come here until they're practically on top of us!"

"You forget, love- you guys have a… giant wolf on your side as well. They may not be able to compete with me when it comes to control, but werewolves as a lot generally tend to think alike. It may have been a while since I was part of a pack, but I can still remember the common patterns and the thrill of the hunt. Using that information, we can form a plan of retaliation- just in case. It's entirely possible that the Quileutes won't even find this place. It's in the middle of nowhere and all. To find us, they'd either need a hell of a lot of luck, or someone who knows their way through the forest guiding them."

Andrew's words were like a punch to the gut as I thought of something- or rather, _someone_- we hadn't taken into consideration previously.

"Where's Samantha?" I asked weakly, closing my eyes at our stupidity for not thinking of her before.

"Why?" asked Emmett, looking as confused as everyone else.

Except Rose.

Rose, who knew exactly what I was getting at- who had been standing right next to me when Samantha had uttered her threats.

"Oh God," she groaned. "Why did we let her leave?"

"Could one of you explain what the problem is?" asked Tia dryly. "Cause the rest of us haven't had the same epiphany as you."

Edward must have read Rose's mind, because he suddenly cursed violently.

"Dammit! It's too late to hunt her down, too."

"What's going on!?" thundered Andrew.

Edward ignored him, rounding on Alice.

"Alice, look into the future- can you see Samantha?"

Alice closed her eyes and concentrated. After a few minutes, she opened them again and spoke.

"No. Edward, why-" her eyes widened and she cut off mid-sentence as she realized what we were getting at. "Oh crap."

"Exactly."

"Exactly what?" demanded Emmett. "What has you four so worked up."

"And what does Samantha have- oh… I see… I believe Alice's words are quite suitable in this situation," Carlisle ran his hand through his hair. "Well… this certainly complicates things."

"Will you explain alr-"

"Samantha is missing and Alice can't see her future, Emmett," Jasper stated emotionlessly. "That means one of two things. Either she's dead, or-"

"Or she's with a pack of werewolves," Tia interrupted faintly. "I'm guessing this Samantha knows the way to the manor?"

"I'd be surprised if she didn't," Jasper replied, his voice still flat. "She probably made sure that she knew so that she'd have something to barter with."

I looked at him, his lack of emotion worrying me. He looked at me, his eyes pained, before he looked away, as if ashamed.

He blamed himself.

"It's not your fault, Jazz," I murmured. "No one blames you."

I shot Rose, who I was pretty sure _did_ blame him, a look that I hoped said _'don't say anything.'_ She gave me a wry half smile and didn't speak.

"_I_ blame me," Jasper replied. "I brought her here, after all."

"Spilled milk, Jasper," Tia said softly. "You can't change the past- only save the future."

"What are we going to do?" Jasper asked Carlisle, changing the subject. I frowned, but allowed him to diver the subject. The question was one that needed answering anyways.

"The only solution I can see is to leave," Carlisle replied. "Staying here and fighting isn't safe."

"It won't work," Edward replied flatly. "Samantha will have already reached the Quileutes. They could be on us any day now. Even if we left, they'd just follow our scent. We'd never be free of them- not until they died."

"That won't happen- not unless someone kills them," Andrew stated flatly. We all looked at him, and he continued. "Werewolves don't die or age past maturity until they stop phasing. None of the Quileutes will have the control to do that for at least five, probably more like ten, years- if then. You'd be running a long time. Once wolves are on the trail, we don't give up- not until someone dies."

"It's hopeless, then," I murmured. "We're damned if we do and damned if we don't."

Edward pulled into his arms and held me tightly. I didn't argue- we both needed the support.

"How many wolves are there?" asked Carlisle at last.

"Six," Andy replied. "None of them are very old- the alpha's been phasing a little more than a year I believe, and the rest less than. If my guess is correct, the newest of them joined about three months ago. Their inexperience will help our situation. They won't have the control needed to fight with their heads rather than their instincts."

"You keep saying 'we'," Jasper stated.

"Of course he is- you can't seriously expect us not help, can you?" Tia demanded, outraged.

"That's exactly what I expect," Jasper replied. "The two of you just got free of a bad situation; you don't need to be dragged into another one."

"Jasper, we're in no position to turn down their help," Alice murmured softly.

"She's right," agreed Andrew. "Besides, it's only thanks to you and Bella that Tia and I are free of that _'bad situation'_. I haven't forgotten that you nearly died in my place. We owe you, and I don't let my debts go unpaid."

Jasper looked ready to argue, and I had half a mind to as well. Alice jammed her elbow into Jasper's ribs to silence him, and Edward caught my eye and gave his head a nearly imperceptible shake. I felt my lips thin, but I stayed resolutely silent.

"Thank-you for offering your help," Carlisle said. "As Alice said, we're really in no position to turn it down."

"Do you know anyone else you could call up?" Tia asked. "The bigger our army, the better chance we have."

"The Denali clan," suggested Rose. "We could call them up- they've always been loyal friends."

Carlisle nodded.

"Yes. They'll help- it was Eleazar that brought the vampire killings to my attention in the first place, after all. I'll also call up my Washington contacts and ask them to keep an eye out for the Quileutes or Sam. Perhaps we can have a bit of warning before they come. Edward and Andrew are right- they would never stop hunting us, and a life on the run is no life at all."

"So it's war," Jasper said flatly.

"I suppose it is," agreed Carlisle softly.

Jasper nodded to himself and said no more.

I leaned, boneless, against Edward, praying to whatever deity was above that our days weren't numbered.

_**A.N2: Well, the story's beginning to come to an end. After this, I may continue with one-shots in this AU, and there will probably be one short multi-chaptered story (just a light one, with about five chapters), but this is gonna be it for the long ones. I have a few ideas for other stories- one of which, "Catalyst" (a post-Eclipse story about Jacob and a girl named Alannah), already has the first chapter (really a prologue) up. I also have two other ideas, one based around Bella's quote of: "I can't always be Lois Lane. I want to be Superman too!", and the other one based on her comment about Angela joining the party if she were a witch. The superman one is already in the works, the other one is just an idea, but there you go- that's what you can expect from me in the future. Sayonara for now!**_


	15. Meaning of Betrayal

_**A.N: I know, I know- super long hiatus. I just lost my muse, and it's my grade 12 year so school is hectic… and all that stuff that you can use as an excuse. The truth is, although I loved Eclipse, it didn't really give me the motivation I thought it would. Oddly enough, it was listening to Timbaland and One Republic's "Apologize" that finally did it. And the chapters have nothing to do with the song either.**_

_**That's write- chapter**__s__**- as in plural, as in more than one. As an "I'm sorry" gift, I now give you **_**two**_** chapters of Midnight Flame. **_

_Fourteen. Meaning of Betrayal_

Werewolves smelled horrid.

Of course, I knew that I smelled nearly as bad to them- but I didn't really care. The mutts probably spent their time digging through garbage; my scent probably didn't even touch them.

My own sensibilities, however, were very much insulted by the rank stench of the wolves with whom I ran.

Jasper had been right when he had suspected that I remembered my past. I remembered everything- had from my second day in the Cullen household- but it had served my purposes to pretend to be the delicate little amnesiac. Jasper would have done anything for me, feeling it was his fault I was in the situation due to some sort of messed up sense of honour.

Then Alice had come along and ruined my plan to seduce him back into my arms.

The thought made me growl the viciously and the wolves closest to me moved further away. I paid them no attention.

If Jasper couldn't accept that he belonged to me (and he did- he had been mine first, after all), then he could die beside that little whore he called a wife... but only after I'd had my fun.

A little voice- the annoying one that humans called a conscience- pointed out that I hadn't spared Jasper a thought until he had taken me into the Cullen household. Once he left, I had simply fallen into Mika's, the vampire Maria had found to replace Jasper, arms.

I thrust the voice away with both hands. I had always lived by the motto- "take what you want no matter the cost." It didn't matter that Jasper was married, or that I hadn't cared enough to try and prevent him leaving all those years ago- if I wanted him, and I did, I would have him.

And once I got bored of him, I would destroy him. I couldn't have him straying once more.

The family would be difficult of course- but that's why I had formed this alliance with the werewolves. While the rest of the pathetic…_vegetarians_ were killing the oversized puppies, I would be able to lure Jasper away with my power. He was susceptible to it- no male could resist me when I didn't want them too.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked the lead wolf- his name was Sam Uley, and I couldn't help but shudder at the thought that I shared a name with a male puppy.

Uley growled at me low in his throat, as if insulted. I sneered back at him- I would have killed him for such insolence if I hadn't needed him to control the other wolves.

"Well," I replied, unable to hide the venom in my voice. "I really hope you do, Uley. These vampires have been around a wee bit longer than you… with the exception of the Swan girl and… _what_?"

I was frustrated now- the pack and stopped in it's tracks at my words about Jasper's annoying little brat of a _sister_- never mind that he was old enough to be her great grandfather.

"You never told us that Bella was a vampire," hissed Uley, and I growled at him in frustration. His fazing back to human form to speak to me was wasting time- and energy. I didn't particularly wish to speak to him.

But, as I said before, I needed him.

For now.

"I didn't see why it was important," a lie- I knew that the girl, _Bella_, was important to the wolves. It was all about male pride.

"Liar," hissed another wolf, fazing back to human form. Young and hot-headed… Jacob Black if I remembered correctly.

"Why exactly _is_ it important?" I drawled in reply.

"The whole reason we hold this vendetta is because of Bella!" Black growled.

"And she's a vampire- the Cullens' turned her, which was against your treaty. By your rules, Isabella Swan no longer exists- I didn't think you'd wish to know that her corpse was still active. Isn't that all we vampires are to your kind? Living corpses?" I smirked at the wolves. "Your own rules say you can't spare her- what would my informing you of her existence have done besides dig the knife a little deeper?"

Hmmm… maybe I _should've_ mentioned she was still alive…

"We keep going," Uley stated. "I hate to admit it, but the leech is right- Bella is one of them, and we'll kill them."

"We should kill _her_ as well, then," Black retorted.

Uley looked at me warily.

"Remember the deal, Jake. She leads us to the Cullens, and we give her the chance to leave, as long as she never comes back."

I smiled at them innocently, all the while smirking on the inside.

They couldn't stop me from doing whatever I wanted once they were dead. And they would end up dead.

I would make sure of that.


	16. Allies

_Fifteen. Allies_

I had never known that the journey from Alaska to southern B.C. could be done in under ten hours until the Denali coven showed up on our doorsteps exactly six hours and sixteen minutes (and a few seconds) after Carlisle had called them.

"Eleazar is a speed demon," Irina told me softly, obviously seeing the expression on my face- which was probably quite comical- upon seeing them here already.

"Oh… I see…" I didn't really- I didn't think that even Edward, who wasn't happy unless he was going twice the speed limit, could have driven so fast.

"I'm glad to see the mutts haven't found you yet," Tanya told me- serious for once. "It means more fun for us."

"I think I like this one," Andrew stated as he and Tia came to see what was making all the noise.

"Watch it, Shiloh," Tia stated, elbowing him in the ribs. "I'd really hate to have to put you in the _dog house_."

"Always the dog jokes," Andy replied, rubbing his ribs. "You don't hear me calling you Dracula or anything like that."

"That's because I'm not a male. Besides, you call me Fang-girl all the time, never mind that I don't _actually_ have fangs."

"And I'm not actually a dog- that doesn't stop you from calling me one."

"Dog… wolf…" Tia shrugged. "They're both hairy, four-legged, and drool."

"I do not drool!" Andrew argued indignantly.

Tia raised a dark brow at him, and his expression turned sheepish.

"Okay… so I may on occasion…"

"And my point is proved."

The Denali Coven, who had been watching the argument with curiosity, looked to Carlisle for an explanation.

"These two are Andrew and Tiazza. It is possible you may have heard of them-"

"The Volturi escapees," Irina interrupted. "You've been hiding fugitives under your roof? Carlisle…" she trailed off.

"They're my friends," I told her bluntly. "And they're here to help us. If it weren't for Andrew, we'd have no idea that the wolves were after us."

"Yeah," agreed Andy. "I may be a fugitive, but I'm excellent for spying amongst the wolves."

"If you'll betray your own kind, how do we know you won't betray us?" Irina hissed in reply.

Tia opened her mouth to argue, her red eyes snapping with fire, but Andrew laid a calming hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into a tight embrace.

"Bella and Jasper gave me a second chance at life- a second chance to be with Tia, who I would protect with my dying breath. I won't let any harm come to them, or to those they love. I would say that that doesn't include you- but I have a feeling I'd be lying."

Irina opened her mouth to argue, but Kate laid a hand on her shoulder.

"He tells the truth, Irina. He may be a wolf- but he's also a good man. He won't betray us," looking at the Andy, Tia, and me- the only ones confused- she explained, "it's my power- the ability to tell if someone's lying to me."

"That would've been a helpful gift when Samantha was still here," I told her sadly. "Then none of this would be necessary."

"It will be okay, Bella," Carmen assured me. "Separate, we're all powerful in our own rights. Together, we'll bring down Samantha- and the wolves she's bringing with her."

I didn't say anything, uneasy with the thought of killing the wolves who believed they were only avenging my cruel murder. Andrew met my eye over Tia's head and I realized, for possibly the first time, what sacrifices he was making for us.

He would fight with us, and we would win.

And Andrew would be made a traitor to his people in the process.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked me after we had managed to extract ourselves from the preparations for battle. Carlisle, Jasper, and the Denali sisters were making the plan- I was of no help there.

"Nothing," I replied softly, sitting on the steps of the house and staring up at the stars that shone brightly in the sky. "The moon's full tonight."

"We'll all be okay," Edward told me.

"Will we?" I replied. "I don't doubt we'll win, Edward- but what comes after?"

Edward looked at me, confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Andy is a werewolf, Edward. If he fights with us- if he kills any of the Quileutes- he'll be a traitor."

Edward pulled me against his side.

"You care," he murmured into my hair. "It's one of the things I love about you- but this is Andy's decision. And he made it the day he fell in love with a vampire."

"They'll be outcasts in both worlds."

"Do you think they care?" Edward pushed me back slightly so he could gaze down into my eyes. "They have each other- and they have us. We won't turn our backs on them, Bella."

"I know."

"Do you?" his gaze was earnest as he looked at me. "The love Andy had for Tia, and the love she has for him… it's awe-inspiring, Bella. I can tell by their thoughts that it's strong. Why do you think Marcus was so willing to help in Italy? Because he's a nice guy?"

"He didn't want you or Alice to lose your mates-" I began.

"He didn't want _Tia_ to lose her mate," he interrupted. "Our relationships played a part- but ultimately it was the love those two had for each other. That they're traitors to their kind… well… I've read their minds, Bella. They. Don't. Care. Don't feel sorry for Andy- he knows what he's doing- he's known it since the day he first saw Tia."

I hugged myself close to Edward.

"I would do it," I said after a while.

"What?" he asked me.

"If it were us in their position- I would betray my kind if it meant I got to spend another night, just like this, in your arms."

Edward tipped up my chin to kiss me.

"I know you would, love- I would too."

We sat in silence for a bit longer, just watching the stars twinkle and taking comfort from each other's presence.

"We'd best-" I cut off sharply when I heard a noise that froze my non-existent blood in my veins.

It was the sound of a wolf.

And it was coming from the edge of our forest.

_**A.N: Dun, Dun, Duuuuuuuuuuuun…. Dun… the ending is approaching- who will win? Who will live? Who will die? Will Samantha finally get what's coming to her (a seat in hell's seventh level)? Or will evil incarnate prevail? Only I know the answers- and I'm not telling.**_

_**Mwuhahahahaha!!!**_

_**I love reviews, by the way- they are my oxygen. **_


	17. It Ends Tonight

_**A.N: Merry Christmas to everyone- and a wish for many more. This story is starting to wind down, so I'd like to take the chance to thank everyone that stayed with me through all these stories- your support is greatly appreciated. Now, here's what you all wanted:**_

_Sixteen. It Ends Tonight_

"Crap," swore Edward, pulling me to my feet and pushing me behind him. "How did we not sense them coming?"

"We were all distracted," Andrew's deep baritone replied. I glanced behind me to where he stood with Tia, the rest of our family, and the Denali coven.

"I guess we arrived just in time," Irina stated, rather calmly, I thought, for the situation.

"How exactly do we go about fighting a pack of werewolves?" I asked.

"We wait for them to make the first move," Tia replied. "We could be waiting for a while- they'll probably want us to move first."

"But we're more patient," Eleazar assured me. "They'll move first- we can outwait them."

"Speak for yourself," muttered Emmett, his eyes shining with excitement. I couldn't help but stomp hard on his foot, making him curse angrily. "What the hell was that for?"

"Being excited for this? That's just sick, Em," I replied, glaring at him.

"As long as it means I'm in control of my facilities when they move, who cares?" Emmett retorted. I rolled my eyes and turned them back to the forest.

"How will they be approaching us?" Edward asked Andy over his shoulder.

"They'll probably spread out," Andy replied. "They'll probably know they're out-numbered, so they'll want to surround us and keep us boxed in," he muttered a curse under his breath. "Can you read they're minds?"

Edward concentrated, then nodded.

"It's kind of broken up- almost animalistic, but I can hear them," he frowned crookedly. "I think you're right about they're plan, but I can't be sure."

"Can you hear Samantha?" Jasper asked, his eyes glaring into the darkness of the trees, straining to see any sign of movement.

"I'm trying," Edward replied. "It's difficult- the wolves are all angry at the one that howled. They wanted this to be a surprise, and he ruined that."

"Everyone go inside," Carlisle ordered softly.

"Huh?" Emmett looked at him like he was insane. "Why?"

"Two reasons," Carlisle replied. "The first is that we should try and negotiate with them. If we can avoid bloodshed, we should. The second is that I'm uncomfortable being out here like so many sitting ducks. If we have to fight, it would be easier to do it from within the house."

I didn't know anything about setting up a battle, so I assumed that Carlisle had the right idea and began to back into the house. Edward moved with me, but Carlisle stopped us.

"Bella, you'll stay with me," he said.

"What?" Edward gave a feral snarl. "No! I won't have her endangered."

"The wolves are after us because you bit Bella, Edward. She's our best hope for negotiation."

Edward pulled me up tightly against his chest. Had I still been human, the force he used would have broken my ribs.

"Figure out a new plan, Carlisle. I'm not putting Bella into danger like that. No way!"

I carefully wriggled free from Edward's grasp and stepped away from him.

"Carlisle is right, Edward- they want you because of me. I'm the best chance."

"Bella, no-"

"Don't argue with her, Edward," Tia snapped, grabbing his arm and hauling him towards the house. "They're right and we both know it- so let Bella do what she does best and charm the bejesus out of 'em."

Andrew watched the two with a bemused look and shook his head before turning his gaze to Carlisle.

"I'll go with you," he said. "They'll be more likely to speak to another werewolf than they would to you."

"They'll recognize you," I pointed out.

"I'm counting on that," Andrew replied.

"I'm coming as well," Jasper said, moving away from Alice with a quick kiss to her cheek. "If Samantha is behind this- which seems pretty likely- I'm the one most likely to talk some sense into her."

Carlisle nodded and turned his grim gaze back to the tree line, waiting patiently for everyone else to get into the house. I could hear Emmett grumbling darkly as he allowed Rosalie to lead him in, but no one complained.

Once we were sure everyone else was safely behind the closed door of the house, Carlisle turned his back to the woods to face Andrew, Jasper and I.

"I'm not counting on this working," he stated. "But if we can avoid blood shed, we will."

The three of us nodded, and Carlisle motioned for us to follow him towards the woods. We stopped about ten feet away from the edge and waited. It was eerily quiet- not even the sound of crickets broke the silence- only the quiet rustle of the wind in the leaves of the tree. After a while, I thought that the howl must have just been a wild coyote.

Then Andrew was knocking my legs out from under me as a large black wolf jumped for my throat.

"Crap," I heard Jasper swear. I looked up in time to see him dodge another wolf- this one chocolate brown.

"Dammit," muttered Andy, jumping to his feet. "All of you stop!"

The wolves didn't listen. The black one merely turned on Andrew, leaving me alone for a moment. Andy deftly dodged the attack- inhumanly quick even when he wasn't a wolf.

"Listen to us a for a second!" I shouted, narrowly avoiding an attack from a grey wolf, only to move into the path of a russet red one. I screamed in a mixture of pain and surprise as I felt the wolf's fangs sink deep into my shoulder.

The wolf was torn away barely a second after it's fangs had met it's mark. I looked up to see Edward in front of me- I couldn't see his face, his back was to me, but I could imagine his expression clearly. Judging from his deep growls, his teeth would be bared in a feral expression of hatred.

Hatred at the wolf that's eyes seemed frighteningly familiar to me.

"Jacob," I murmured. The name escaped my lips with ease. I didn't recognize it, but, somehow, I knew that it was this wolf's name.

"Jacob Black," I called out, my voice stronger this time. Both he and Edward looked at me.

"Bella," murmured Edward, his voice holding a warning that I refused to listen to. I kept my gaze locked steadily on Jacob's- somehow I knew that if I looked away first, Jacob would attack again.

"That's your name, isn't it?" I asked the wolf. "Jacob Black… your father… his name was," I searched my memory for the name, grinning when it finally came to me. "Billy Black. It was Billy Black, and he was one of my dad's best friends. The truck Charlie got for me," a brief flash of an old red truck that I had fallen in love with at first sight flashed across my mind. "It was Billy's… but he's in a wheel chair now, so he couldn't drive it anymore. You were the one that fixed it up… weren't you?"

The wolf took a slow step towards me, then seemed to realize what it was doing and backed off, growling at me.

"You remember me, don't you Jacob?" I asked. "We didn't know each other very well- I always played with your sisters- but I can remember you being there on those fishing trips," I surveyed him closely. "You've changed quite a bit- from little hopeful fisherman to werewolf."

"He says you've changed more," Edward growled from my shoulder. "From beloved _human_ daughter to soulless leech."

"There's no need for name calling," I retorted to Jacob. "You don't hear me calling you mutt or anything like that."

I couldn't tell where the words came from, but they felt right- as if I was meant to badger Jake.

It hit me with a jolt that, had I not been turned, the two of us probably would have been friends.

The growl that came from the black wolf and the brown wolf that now flanked Jacob made me realize that that would never happen now. We were enemies, and tonight one of us would die.

I was surprised by how much that thought hurt.

_**A.N2: Now, before people start getting angry and pointing out that Bella hadn't really met Jacob before she was turned in **_**Moonlight Sonata**_**, I'd like to explain myself. One of the things I liked most about **_**New Moon**_** and **_**Eclipse**_** was the strong friendship Bella had with Jacob. Despite that fact that he wanted more, he was a good friend to her- and I believe that that was their destiny. Bella's being turned changed that, which met that that tiny part of her- her friendship with Jake- was missing. Because they were met to be friends, part of Bella recognizes this and mourns the loss, even though she never had the friendship to begin with. I'm not sure if that makes sense to anyone… it was a lot more articulate in my mind…**_


	18. Ghosts In The Closet

_**A/N: I know it's been a while, but hey! I'm not dead. I'm not going to keep you, so please enjoy:**_

_Seventeen. Ghosts In The Closet_

_Jasper_

I cursed loudly as a wolf dove at me, preventing me from going to Bella's aid. I dodged it, only to have to duck as it leapt at me again. I growled, prepared the next time it flew at me, kicking it swiftly in the ribs and sending it flying with a yelp. Positive that he was out of the way for the moment, I moved to go to Bella's aid.

Then the scent hit me.

_Samantha._

I growled viciously, wanting nothing more than to rip the traitorous bitch to shreds. She had brought the wolves down on our head, all because she was too much of a child to accept defeat. I looked at Bella, only to see that Edward had come to her aid and was now in a stale mate with a large russet coloured wolf. I saw the others- the Denali coven, Tia, and the rest of my family- had arrived as well. Alice looked up at me from where she had dodged away from a wolf, her lips pursed. I looked at her, silently asking her permission.

_Trust me, Allie. Let me do this._

Alice glanced past me, her eyes seeing nothing- she was having a vision. When her eyes cleared once more, she nodded at me.

It was all I needed to shoot off into the forest, following Samantha's scent. It didn't take me long to track her to a clearing about twenty miles away from the fight. She was leaning against a tree, her arms crossed, clearly expecting me.

"I knew you'd come," she stated. "You never were able to resist me."

I snorted at the cocky words.

"I didn't come here for the reasons you think, _Samantha_," I sneered in reply. "I came so I could kill you."

Sam raised an eyebrow at me and pouted seductively. I stared back stoically. No matter how attractive and alluring Samantha was, she no longer had a hold over me. Not only had I recognized her for what she was- a traitorous bitch- but now I had Alice.

No one could seduce me away from my beloved Alice- not even a master like Samantha.

"Well," she sighed when she saw that her pout wasn't getting the desired effect. "You're no fun, are you?" She sauntered up and ran her finger along my chest. "There was a time when all I had to do was look at you right, and you would be on me in a second."

I grabbed her hand and crushed it in mine, not paying attention to her wince of pain.

"Maybe I just don't find you that… _desirable_ anymore," I replied, using the limb I held to propel her back onto her back.

"Watch it Jasper- or else you may find yourself very, _very_… destroyed, shall we say?"

"So if I leave you to your wicked little plots I'll live?" I rolled my eyes. "Like _that's_ going to happen. You're done, Samantha. Your little allies back there- they aren't going to win. We out number them, and we have better control, and better powers. They're all going to die- and so is whatever plan you have cooking in that deceptive little mind of yours."

Samantha threw back her head and laughed. It startled me- it wasn't the expected reaction of anger or resignation.

"You think that the-the _wolves_ are important?" she continued to chuckle. "A means to an end… a distraction if you will. You played your part wonderfully, by coming after me Jasper," she sauntered up to me once more, grasping my shirt collar in her grip and pulling my head down so my ear was at her lips. "You are forgetting my power, Jasper. I am not a seductress- I am _the_ seductress. And not even you will get away from me."

I could feel a stirring within me at her words. I could remember what it used to be like- before the Cullens. The ease with which I had killed and drained mortals- the delectable taste of their blood… and Sam…

Sam had tasted almost as good as they had.

I could feel myself giving in, allowing Samantha to take control of me mind and body as I had seen her do to so many other men. Then-

_Alice._

Her face filled my mind. I saw her pain and anger when she believed I loved Sam, the love she felt when we made up. I saw her giddiness as she and Rose dressed up Bella, and I saw the trust that shone in her eyes when she had given me that nod back in the clearing.

I wouldn't- I couldn't- hurt Alice like that.

With a roar, I sent Samantha flying back into a tree. It snapped in half with a tremendous crash as her granite body it the trunk. The force would have easily killed a mortal twelve times over.

Sadly, Samantha was a vampire.

"Well," she murmured, quickly regaining her feet. "If you are so desperate to die, then who am I to deny you the pleasure?"

She leapt at me with an angry hiss, and the fight was on.

_Bella_

"I'm really sorry it has to be this way," I told the russet wolf. "I think… had things been different… we would have been friends."

The wolf just stared at me, his two companion growling. I was surprised to note that Jacob himself was _not_.

"He says he's sorry as well," Edward said, then he let out a feral growl as he received another of Jacob's thoughts.

"What is it?" I demanded, looking at my beloved's crouched and defensive form.

"If you want to kill her," he said to the wolf, completely ignoring me. "You'll have to kill me first- and trust me, I'm no pushover."

The Jacob-wolf didn't even bother with a growl, he just flung himself at Edward, who met him halfway with a loud crash. The two wolves that had flanked Jacob were hot on his heels, so I dashed ahead to meet the brown one head on. I caught a flicker from the corner of my eye- Andrew's massive form attacking the black wolf, the two meeting in a wild frenzy of black and red. My opponent soon distracted me, and I became unaware of how my allies were doing for a long while.

"Aaagh!" I shouted as the wolf managed to land a bad bit on my leg, ripping off some of the flesh. The wolf moved to jump at me again, but he was waylaid by Emmett's huge frame. Rose came up beside me quickly to help me up.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah…" I stared at the chunk of… well… me that sat several feet away, having been discarded by the wolf in his surprise at Emmett's attack. "What do I do."

Rose scrunched up her nose in disgust, but picked up the piece of flesh and stuck it to the area where it belonged. I stared in shock as it fused together with the rest of me, leaving behind just flawless skin.

"That is really neat… but super gross," I stated.

Rose opened her mouth to reply, but was stopped by a large, silver wolf tackling her.

"Dammit!" I swore, leaping ahead and yanking it off of her, throwing it into a tree. The force sent it flying further than expected- leaving a trail of five destroyed trees before the wolf's body final stopped its movement. Alice was there before it could even land, breaking it's neck neatly while it was too stunned to react.

A hand fell to my shoulder, and I spun around to attack whoever it belonged to.

Edward's palm caught the fist I had directed at his face. I stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, then he pulled me tightly into his arms and buried his face in my hair.

Around us, there was silence.

"It's over?" Rose asked finally, her soft whisper seeming like a yell in the unnatural calm that had consumed the forest now that the fight was done.

"No, it's not," Alice stated from where she still stood over the silver wolf- now reverted to a brown-skinned Quileute.

"What do you mean?" asked Carmen from where she knelt, tending to Eleazar's wounds.

Thunder echoed from somewhere in the forest.

"Jasper hasn't returned from hunting Sam," Alice said, before she turned into the woods, heading towards the crash we had heard.

I followed her without a word, wondering whether the crash had been caused by Jasper or Samantha.

Edward caught up to me easily, and we were soon joined by Andrew- still in wolf form.

"You're hurt," I stated without even looking at his friend. His blood was burning my nostrils- unlike normal human blood, werewolf blood didn't smell at all attractive.

"He said he'll be fine," Edward told me grimly. "He wants to see this through."

"Yeah, well, he's an idiot," Tia had come up on his other side. "But since I'm in love with said idiot, I guess I'd better tag along to make sure he doesn't die."

Andrew barked, and then we fell into silence.

With Alice's small, pale form flitting through the trees ahead of us, the four of us ran. I winced every time I heard the thunderous crash as it became steadily louder. Ahead of us, Alice gave a pained gasp.

"Jasper!"

Her form sped up, becoming little more than a blur. Looking at Edward, who's eyes were wild with fear over whatever it was that Alice had seen. Without speaking, all four of us quickened our pace.

I didn't know if god listened to the prayers of vampires, but I sent one anyways.

_Please… _please_ let my brother be safe._

_**A/N2: In case you couldn't tell, fight scenes aren't really my forte. There will be more about the wolves' bodies and what happens to them later, but right now Jasper is higher priority to our heroes/heroines. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible, but considering how busy I've been lately, I wouldn't count on it being out tomorrow (then again- I have the week off for exams, so I might surprise us all! Who knows?).**_


	19. Slipped Away

Eighteen

_**A.N: Guess what? I'm not dead! Yay! This chapter is… well… you'll have to read it for yourself and see…**_

_Eighteen. Slipped Away_

_Bella_

The sight that greeted us when we broke through the trees to Jasper's location, was one of destruction.

"Holy… crap," Tia muttered, staring at the mess of decimated trees and torn up grass that covered the area.

Alice stood in the middle of the destruction, her head swivelling around, searching for any sign of Jasper.

"It's quiet," murmured Tia.

"Too quiet," Edward replied.

"Bella, Edward, Tia- duck!" Alice ordered spinning around.

We did as we were told. Moment after we hit the ground, the silence of the meadow was broken by the sound of wood splintering and hideous growls as Jasper was thrown through a tree to land right in front of Alice. His clothes were in tatters, and there was clear liquid leaking from scratches and gouges across his body.

Edward, Tia, and I got to our feet and spun towards the newly decimated tree to see Samantha swooping down, intent on getting to Jasper.

She ten feet away from us and glared. Her clothes were just as dirty and torn as Jasper's, though her wounds weren't as numerous.

"This is between Jasper and I- get lost."

Andrew growled low from where he was twined protectively around Tiazza, she was running her fingers through his thick fur and glaring at Samantha with vicious red eyes.

"He's our brother," I told Samantha. "We won't let you attack him and do nothing- that's not the way family works."

"She's right Bella," Jasper had gotten up and now stood behind me, his hand on my shoulder. "This is between her and me."

I glared at him darkly.

"She has to die, Jasper," I stated. "Are you sure you can do that?"

He blinked at me, as though confused.

"You doubt my abilities?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Your abilities? No. Your ability to kill someone you share as much history with, as you do with Samantha? Uh- yeah!" I turned around so I could face him fully and crossed my arms. "You loved her once, Jasper- you don't just forget that."

Jasper looked over my head to view Samantha. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed as he frowned at her.

"You highly overestimate Samantha's hold on me, Bella," he replied. "I want this over- and I want her dead."

Sam gave an enraged scream from behind me. I only had time to spin around before she was on me, ripping at my flesh to get at Jasper.

"Bella!" I wasn't sure if it was Tia or Alice who screamed my name- it was overshadowed by an animalistic bellow. Almost as soon as Samantha had landed on me, she was sent flying, hitting what was left of a ruined tree trunk. Edward and Jasper stood in front of me, both of them shaking with anger.

"Kill her, Jasper," Edward hissed, not even taking his eyes off Samantha as he spoke to his brother. "Kill her now, or I will."

Jasper didn't reply, he just moved swiftly towards Samantha to finish the fight. Edward dropped next to me and gathered me in his arms.

"Ouch," I winced. "Her finger nails are really sharp."

I looked up into Edward's golden eyes with a sheepish gaze. He was staring solemnly down at me. Neither of us spoke for a moment- it was as if no one but us existed. I didn't hear as Jasper fought Samantha. I didn't hear Andrew's angry howl as he joined the fray when the female vampire had gotten too close to Tiazza. I just saw Edward.

He gave a low growl and buried his face in my hair.

"Never get in the middle of a fight like that again," he whispered. "She could have killed you- she's not some werewolf pup, Bella. Samantha is a centuries old, experienced vampire."

"I know- I'm sorry."

"When this is done, we're getting married," he stated. "I'm not losing you."

"Marriage isn't going to automatically prevent that, Edward," I pointed out. He glared down at me, and I smiled up. "But… it would make me a little more secure, too. I agree- after this is done, and everything's back to normal, we'll have a wedding."

We sat like that for a few more seconds, until a high pitched, pained yelp destroyed the moment and sent my head snapping up.

Several feet away from us stood Samantha. Jasper had his back to us and was staring at her in horror.

In her arms was a petrified Andrew, still a wolf.

"Kill me, Jasper," she hissed. "Go ahead- but first I'll kill the wolf."

With those words, Samantha bent down and tore into Andy's throat with sharp teeth.

"No!" Tia shouted, her voice filled with anguish.

Jasper moved in, his momentum sending himself and Samantha flying into the bush. Alice flew to join them, and moments later there was a tearing sound, and a high keening that cut off abruptly after a few moments.

Tia didn't pay any attention the sounds, she rushed instead to Andy's side and fell to her knees, drawing his head into her lap.

"Andy," she whimpered. "No, no, please God, no!"

The wolf whimpered in pain, but readjusted himself in Tia's lap and reverted to human form. In any other situation, I would have been embarrassed by Andrew's nakedness, but not now. Not as he lay, dying, in Tia's arms.

He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a gurgled sound as blood dripped out of the side.

"Don't speak, Andy," Tia murmured. "It'll be okay- we'll save you… you're strong, you're a wolf. You'll be okay."

Andrew shook his head and weakly grasped Tia's wrist in his hand to press a bloody kiss to her palm.

"Love you. Always."

Then Andy lay his head back down and spoke no more.

Never, in all the centuries I would live, would I forget the sound of Tia's anguished cry that day in the forest.

_**A.N: Okay… so… please don't hate me! I'm doing that enough for all of us right now. Why Andy? Why me? Why did I do that!! **_

_**Truthfully, this was never in the outlines… Samantha just really wanted to kill someone, and this is what happened. Everyone who hates Sam say "Ya!"**_

_**This story should be done soon- as in one chapter and an epilogue soon… if not just an epilogue. We'll see.**_


	20. Waiting for the Breakdown

A

_**A.N: Well guys, here it is- the next instalment in this story, which just keeps getting longer and refusing to come to an end when I want it to. Hope you enjoy.**_

_Nineteen. Waiting For The Breakdown_

_Bella_

I had learned control in less time than any other Cullen to chase after Edward. I had defied the Volturi and lived to tell the tale. I had even fought ghosts from my past that I didn't even know existed and was still standing.

Still- I had no idea how to help Tia. What do you say to someone when their reason for living is no longer living them self?

"No," she whispered. It had been her mantra since Andrew had lain his head down for the last time. "Nononononono."

Jasper and Alice looked at us from the trees- taking in the sight of Tia cradling Andy and Edward and I looking on helplessly.

"He has a shallow heart beat," Tia whispered, her voice choked. "We should be able to save him… Carlisle's a doctor, can't he save him?"

Edward looked away from her, unable to meet her desperate red eyes.

"Not from this Tia- not from a wound as bad as th-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as Andrew convulsed and let out a scream of agony.

"What is it?" I asked, diving to my knees to pull Tia away from Andrew's wildly seizing body. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

"It's the venom," Tia whispered. "It's trying to change him," she tried to break free from me to move closer to his side, but Edward joined me in holding her back.

"He's a werewolf," Edward said. "He shouldn't be able to turn… it's not natural."

I shot him a dark look as Tia shook her head.

"When has anything about us been natural, Edward?"

Edward didn't reply, which meant he had nothing to reply _with_. Instead he looked at Jasper and Alice.

"Alice- go get Carlisle. He'll know what to do better than any of us," Alice nodded and sped off. Edward turned his attention to Jasper. "There's nothing more you can do to help, Jazz. Burn Samantha's pieces. The last thing we need is _that_ death not sticking."

Jasper nodded and leaned down. When he stood back up, he held several pale white pieces of what looked like stone. Had I been human and in any other situation, I would have thrown up at the sight of Samantha's pieces, but tonight had been too emotionally draining as it was. I felt utterly detached as I watched Jasper walk away with the pieces of his one-time love.

_Tiazza_

I winced as Andrew's body continued to deny the change- his wolf fighting against Samantha's venom.

"Let me go," I begged Edward and Bella. "I can help him, please let me go."

"She can't make it any worse," Bella said to Edward. "Maybe we should… I mean, if she can help…"

Edward's reply was to release the arm he held, and Bella did the same. As soon as I was released, I shot to Andy's side and knelt there.

"Andy, it's Tia," I whispered. "Just… just let go, Andy. Let the venom do it's work. I can't," I choked on my words and a tearless sob. "I _won't_ live without you Andy. That would be unbearable. You can't die on me- not now… not so soon after we finally got each other back. Imagine what Aro would say?" I tried to crack the weak joke, but it fell flat for me and didn't quite reach Andy through the pain. "Oh God Andy- please, let the venom do it's work. I know you'd be a vampire… but it would be better than being dead. Please Andy!"

I couldn't speak anymore through the hacking sobs that overtook my body. I felt arms wrap around me and gently pull me from Andy's side, but I didn't look up to see who they belonged to.

"It's okay, dear," it was Esme's warm, motherly voice that reached me. "Carlisle is here, and he'll do everything he can to save Andrew," he hands stroked my hair and I turned into her, sobbing into her shoulder. "Hush dear, it will be okay. Have faith."

I opened my mouth to reply that I had lost my faith a long time ago, but then I shut it, reconsidering my views.

After all, before the Cullens had come to Volterra, I hadn't believed in miracles either.

_Andy_

I had done a lot of bad things in my time. I had turned my back on my pack. I had betrayed my people to be with one of our enemies. I had even killed people, when I joined the army for two tours in Afghanistan when I was eighteen.

Still, despite all the things I had done, I wasn't sure that I deserved this hell.

The pain overwhelmed me.

Through the haze a memory rose. It was my second time on duty. I had been on patrol when we hit a land mine. The three soldiers with me had died, but thanks to my werewolf healing I had survived. A miracle, the medics had called it. I had thought then that I had reached the pits of hell- I got an honourable discharge and a purple heart for my efforts, but even to this day I wasn't sure the pain had been worth it.

That experience paled in comparison to what I was feeling now. Then, the burning agony had just been on my outside- here, the burning started at my throat and spread throughout my veins, as if my blood had turned to flame.

I threw my head back and screamed- something I had never done in Afghanistan.

Then, through the pain, I heard an angel speak.

"Andy, it's Tia. Just… just let go, Andy. Let the venom do it's work. I can't," the angel choked on her words and gave a tearless sob. "I _won't_ live without you Andy. That would be unbearable. You can't die on me- not now… not so soon after we finally got each other back. Imagine what Aro would say? Oh God Andy- please, let the venom do it's work. I know you'd be a vampire… but it would be better than being dead. Please Andy!"

Vampire… Tia… I remembered Samantha grabbing me, and Tia's anguished face, then the pain.

Knowledge of what had happened registered in my brain as another wave of pain washed over me. I gave a wordless scream of agony as my wolf fought against the venom.

Even I couldn't be sure who would win the battle.

_Bella_

"What will happen, Edward?"

Edward looked at me from where he was overlooking a blazing fire. The smell of burning flesh hit me, and I crinkled my nose and moved out of the path of the smoke. Burning was the only way to be certain Samantha remained dead. It had been Eleazar's suggestion that we turn the flames into a mass grave for the Quileutes as well. I still wasn't sure I approved, but he had been right when he had said it was the only safe way to dispose of the bodies.

"We don't know," Edward replied. "There's never been a situation like this before, where a werewolf faced being turned."

"If he dies…" I trailed off and stared into the distance. Edward's hand touching my face brought me back into my body and I shook my head.

"If he dies?" Edward prompted.

"Tia won't be far behind," I finished my statement. "There's only so much of a beating a person can take before they stop trying all together."

Edward wrapped his arms around me and pressed his lips to my temple. I leaned into him, taking comfort from his strong arms and familiar scent.

"You need a shower," I murmured, closing my eyes and concentrating all my senses on Edward. "You smell like smoke."

"It can wait," Edward replied, burying his face in my hair.

"Hmmm," I hummed.

"Bella, Edward?" Jasper came out from behind a tree to our left. "Sorry to interrupt, but Carlisle wants everyone at the house."

"Is it Andy?" I broke away from Edward and went to Jasper to grasp his hand tightly in my own. "Is he gonna be okay."

"We don't know," Jasper's face was grim. "There's been no change. I remember the change being painful, but not that bad."

"It's because he's a werewolf," Edward replied. "His very nature is fighting the change- it makes the pain we felt pale in comparison."

Jasper nodded and ran his fingers through his hair.

"If he doesn't make it… I doubt Tia will ever forgive me. Hell, I don't think _I'll_ ever forgive me, even if he does survive."

"It's not your fault, Jasper," I told him. "We were all fooled by Samantha."

Jasper raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged.

"Okay- so we were only fooled at the very beginning, but we also had no past history with her. You were biased, it's only natural."

"Thank-you Bella, but I'd really rather not be comforted rightly now. I'm not the one who needs it- Tiazza is."

"Why does Carlisle need to see us?" Edward asked, changing the subject.

"I think he just wants us all to be together," Jasper replied. "We're all still pretty wired- especially with Andy being… well, he just thinks we should stick close to one another."

Edward nodded.

"Help me put out this fire and hide the evidence, then," he said. "We can't just leave it to run wild."

Between the three of us we managed to get the fire out and the ashes scattered. I let Edward and Jasper take care of the remains that hadn't completely burned- had I been human, the mere sight of them would have made me sick. As it was, I refused to touch them.

About twenty minutes later, the three of us finally tracked into the house, all covered in ash and smelling like smoke and (in the boys' case) burned flesh.

"Go clean up," Esme ordered when she peeked her head out of the living room and saw us. She winced when a pained howl- more animal than human- came from the depth of the house. "We'll be in here."

The three of us washed and dressed in record time, returning to the others in under fifteen minutes. Everyone but Carlisle, Tia, and Andy were gathered there. The TV was on, playing some teen-boppers latest number one hit, but no one was paying any attention to it- it was on to relieve the silence that would overcome the room otherwise, not for entertainment purposes.

Another howl reached us and Rosalie stood up to pace while Emmett turned up the television volume. It had no effect- the howls could still be heard.

"How long will it be?" I asked, my lips barely moving.

No one spoke or moved, except for Rosalie's pacing, for a long moment.

"The normal change lasts three days," Alice murmured at last. "But a werewolf has never been in this situation before. Without my visions, we are truly working blind. Carlisle tried to give him some morphine earlier, but it's effects only lasted half an hour and he doesn't want to over do it."

Jasper moved to her side and cradled her in his arms, burying his face in her hair. As another howl reached us, she buried her head in his chest.

"We can't stay," Tanya told us. "We would, but Carmen works and…"

I winced with her as yet another howl was heard.

"It's okay," Esme assured her. "We don't expect you to stay…no through this."

"Thank-you for your help," Edward added. "I wish we could give you a proper send off, but…"

He trailed off in time for another scream, and gave the Denali coven a wan smile.

"We understand," Irina assured him. "We'd best leave now… it would be better."

The good-byes were much more subdued than the last time we had seen each other. It was impossible to work up the proper emotions with Andrew's howls in the background.

An hour later the Denali coven had left, leaving just us, Tia, and Andrew's screams.

_**A.N: Well, you now know more about Andy and his past. Now for the big question- is he gonna survive? Honestly, with the way these characters have been taking over the story, your guess is as good as mine.**_


	21. High Voltage

Twenty

_**A.N: Well, here it is, a new chapter. I know it's late, but these things take time… something that I have been sadly lacking this summer. You will now find out whether or not our beloved Andrew will live or die. Enjoy, and remember, I love feed back and any advice is greatly appreciated.**_

_Twenty. High Voltage_

_Andy_

So… this is what it was like to die.

Now that the pain had gone, it wasn't really all that bad. There was no light at the end of the tunnel, which I hadn't been expecting, but there was also no fire and brimstone, which I had.

Instead, I was just… floating, hanging in nowhere as though I had never existed.

The afterlife was kind of crappy.

"Andy, you can do this, I know you can."

I sighed at Tia's voice- beautiful, fiery, passionate Tia. My friend, my lover, my everything. How could I let her go- especially for an eternity of floating in a painless, empty… _nowhere_.

I couldn't, which meant there was only one thing I could do. The one thing I was best at.

I had to cheat death.

I had to survive.

With that in mind, I clawed my way back into consciousness.

_Bella_

I looked helplessly at Edward as we tried to pull Tia away from Andy's body. It had been a week- one long, miserable week- and Andy had just now succumbed to the venom, no longer breathing.

"No," Tia sobbed, fighting against my grip. "No, no- Andy, wake up! You have to, please… Andy…"

She curled into herself, her sudden dead weight nearly sending me to floor, except that Edward was there and caught me. Tia didn't notice- she had wrapped her arms around her legs and was rocking back and forth, Andy's name the only coherent word in her sobs.

"Tia, let's get you downstairs," Edward murmured kindly. "We'll get you cleaned up, and-"

"Stop your sobbing, woman. I'm not dead."

All three of our heads snapped up to look at the bed. Andy lay there, seemingly immobile, but it had been his voice that had spoken the words.

"Andy," Tia scrambled to his side and grasped his hand. "Speak to me again honey."

"Or am I dead," he mused, not really responding to Tia. "What do you call it when all your bodily functions have ceased, but you continue to exist," his eyes slowly opened and he blinked a few times, as if his vision were out of focus.

"We call it a vampire," Edward walked to Andy's other side and slapped his shoulder. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back… I think," Andy's eyes narrowed in concentration and he frowned at the roof, before he turned his head to look at Tia. His gaze immediately softened and he smiled. "Yeah, it definitely good. Help me up."

Edward and Tia manoeuvred Andy into a sitting position, and he moved so that his legs were over the side of the bed. That done, he wasted no time in swinging Tia up into his arms and burying his face in his hair.

"I'm a vampire now," he murmured, his voice muffled by her hair. "You had better make it damn good and worth it."

Tia pushed him back a bit to smile up into his face.

"It's time we left," Edward told me, putting an arm around my shoulder and directing me for the door.

"But I didn't even get to say hello-" I began, but Andy interrupted me.

"Hello Bella, great to see you. How are you? Good? Well, that's great. Oh, me? Never better. Now, please get the hell out of the room while I get hot and heavy with my girl, here."

I laughed.

"It's good to have you back, Andy."

Andy just waved his hand at me, his mouth to busy working on Tia's to give me a reply.

_Tia_

"You," I paused as Andy pressed a kiss against my lips, "complete," another kiss, "and total jerk!"

Andy pulled back to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Name calling is kind of ruining the mood here, vampire."

"That doesn't work anymore, Lassie," I retorted, grinning as he gave me another kiss. "You're a vampire too."

That made him pause, and caused his eyebrows to furrow in thought.

"What is it, Andy," I asked, looking anxiously into his dark face.

"I don't think Lassie will work anymore, love," his eyes turned sorrowful, and I felt a pang in my own heart at the pain those green eyes held. "I'm not a wolf anymore- I'm a vampire."

"Oh," I laid my head against his chest. "I guess I never thought of that before. Do you think you'll regret it?"

He looked down into my face and his eyes softened, just as they always did when he looked at me- just as they always had, even when I had found him beaten and broken all those years ago.

"Never," he murmured, bending down to graze his lips over mine. "I could never regret staying with you, Tia. Everything I do, I do for you."

His words brought back all the misery and pain of the last week when I thought I would lose him, and I began to sob against his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, embracing me to his chest. His abnormally warm chest.

I pulled back from him immediately and surveyed him closely. He looked the same as he had before the change- _exactly _the same.

Tanned skin.

Green eyes.

Fevered skin.

The only thing missing was a heart beat.

"Andy," I said slowly.

"What, lass?" he replied frowning down at me.

"I don't think you're a normal vampire."

He raised an eyebrow at me, so I got off his lap and lead him to the mirror in the corner.

"What am I looking at?" he asked me, bemused.

"Your reflection, obviously. Notice anything off?"

I saw the exact moment that his brain registered the lack of change in his appearance. His mouth spoke what his brain was thinking a moment later.

"_Bloody hell_."

_**A.N: Well, there you have it, chapter twenty. I know the title didn't have much to do with the chapter content, but I was listening to the song **_**Danger! High Voltage **_**by Electric Six as I wrote it, and no other name seemed to work. I've already started Twenty-one and hope to have it up before I leave for University on Monday. Wish me luck and happy writing!**_


	22. Freaks and Geeks

A

_**A.N: Well, this story seems to just wanna keep going, and going, and going, and I'm pretty sure you get the point. **_

_Twenty-One. Freaks and Geeks_

_Bella_

"You're down awfully early."

I knew what, or rather _who_, had caused the remark from Emmett before I even turned around. Sure enough, Tia and Andy stood at the foot of the steps, but neither of them reacted to Emmett's lewdly toned statement- or even looked ecstatic, as I had expected.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked immediately, taking the words out of my mouth.

"I didn't turn vampire right," Andrew replied as he and Tia sat on the love seat.

"What do you mean you didn't turn vamp-" Rosalie tapered off as the lack of changes to Andrew registered in all our minds.

"If it weren't for the lack of heart beat, I'd swear he was still alive," Tia stated. "Do you know what's wrong?" This was addressed to Carlisle who was frowning at Andrew absently, obviously deep in thought.

"I don't know," he replied at last. "No one has ever attempted to turn a werewolf before, much less succeeded."

"Great- so I'm one of a kind and we have no idea what to expect," Andy replied. "Dandy, just friggin' dandy."

"At least you're unique," I offered weakly. Andy glared at me.

"Shapes of clouds are unique. The patterns on Hereford cattle are unique. _I_ am a bloody _freak_. I'm not wolf, but I'm obviously not vampire, either."

"What makes you so sure?" Edward asked.

"Hereford cattle?" Emmett asked at the same time- but everyone ignored him.

"Other than the lack of paleness and my still green eyes?" Andy shrugged. "Probably the fact that I wasn't thirsty when I woke up, and I'm still not feeling any particular urge to go and suck the blood out of something," he turned thoughtful, "I could, however, go for some food. Maybe a nice big sirloin- really rare, lots of blood."

"Lots of blood?" Tia repeated. "You like your stake well done- medium at the worst. You always say, ''m a werewolf, lass, not an actual wolf. I want my meat cooked.'"

"Your attempts to mock my accent are terrible," Andy drawled, hugging Tia closer to his sides. "And I've decided I want rare- medium rare at the worst."

"He still wants solid food, what does that mean?" I asked.

"I don't know," Carlisle replied. "I believe this calls for some research."

"Or," began Emmett, "we could skip on the research, give… Shiloh, was it? Heh, I like that. We could give Shiloh a sirloin, and see what all he's retained from his human life- and why are you all looking at me like that?"

"You said 'retained'- I didn't know you knew a word that big," Jasper stated.

"You called me Shiloh," growled Andy darkly.

"You actually had a good idea," Edward said.

"Hey- I have good ideas!" Emmett told Edward. "I have them all the time," he turned his gaze to Jasper, "I know lots of big words like 'retained'- I've been through school as many times as you," finally he spoke to Andrew. "Your girlfriend calls you it, blame her."

"Tia can call me that _because_ she's my-"

"It doesn't matter how many times you've been through sch-"

"You do not have good ideas all the time, you rarely-"

"ENOUGH!" Carlisle shouted loud enough to drown out the three arguing voices. Everyone silenced and looked at the older vampire. "Emmett has a good idea. We should feed Andrew and discover what all he can do."

"I'll defrost the sirloin," Esme said. "Rare, you said?"

"Give it five minutes on each side and that'll be good," Andy replied. "Thank-you ma'am."

"I'll help her," Rosalie said, following Esme into the kitchen.

We sat in silence for a moment, the only sounds were those that Esme and Rosalie made as they prepared Andy's food.

"How exactly do we test my capabilities," Andy asked quietly after a moment.

"You try to phase," Carlisle replied. "We'll work from there."

Andy kissed Tia on the forehead and stood up to stand behind the loveseat. He breathed deeply and shut his eyes, a furrow forming between his eyes as he concentrated.

"It's not working," he said after a moment, sounding desolate. I wondered how hard it was for him- being unable to be what he'd been his whole life.

"Try again- maybe it'll be harder now that you're a vampire as well as a wolf," Jasper pointed out.

Andy breathed deeply-needlessly- once more, eyes shutting again. As before, nothing happened.

"You're trying too hard," Tia said softly. Andrew's eyes snapped open to look at her in confusion, so she explained. "Phasing has always been effortless for you, Andy- second nature. Now, you don't really believe you can do it, so you're trying to hard and breaking under the pressure," she stood up and went to cup his face in her hands. "Don't worry so much- no matter what, you're still Andy, still the man I love. If you can't phase, then we'll deal with that together. We've overcome worse," she pressed her lips softly to his.

Andy broke away after a moment and rested his forehead on hers.

"What would I do without you?" he murmured softly.

"I'm sure you'd figure something out," Tia's eyes were soft as she spoke. "But I'm glad you don't have to."

I looked away from Andy and Tia, feeling as though I were peeking in on something private. My eyes met Edward's and his gaze held mine. After a moment, he moved his head slightly towards the exit, and I nodded. Andy was alive- they didn't need us to figure out what he could do, and Edward and I had some unresolved issues left to figure out.

Like the fact that I had agreed to marry him.

_**A.N2: Anyways, this was sort of a filler chapter, but we get some resolutions about Bella and Edward next chapter. What resolutions? Re-read chapter 18 very closely and you should realize what it is- if you can guess right, I'll give you a cyber cookie. All the goodness with none of the mess.**_


	23. When Does Forever Start

_**A.N: Well gang, I've done it. Here is:**_

_Twenty-Two. When Does Forever Start?_

"You agreed to marry me," Edward stated as soon as we were out of hearing distance of the house.

"Well," I began. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?"

"Bella, please," Edward looked almost pained. "Tell me I wasn't imagining anything. You really did tell me you'd marry me, didn't you?"

"You didn't give me much of a choice," I began, then sighed when I looked at his face. "Yes, Edward- I agreed to marry you."

He gave a whoop and spun me in a circle, I laughed as he put me down and buried my face in his chest. Despite my uncertainty on this matter, his joy was contagious.

"When?" he demanded. "How soon?"

I stepped back and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Edward- I've never had _anything_ to do with a wedding. Well, there was Renee's, but that doesn't really count- that was closer to an elopement than anything. You're the one who's seen three couples married various times. You tell _me_ how soon we can do this."

"Alice will want to go all out," Edward ran his hand through his hair with a sigh, "so will Esme and Rosalie really… I could maybe get it down to three months."

I thought on that, then shook my head.

"No need to rush- make it six."

Edward's grin died off when I said that.

"Why do I get the feeling you don't really want this?" he asked me.

"It's not that, Edward," as I said the words, I realized they were true- I did _want_ to marry Edward. "I just want time- time to get to know you better, to know _me_ better. Six months will give us that time. It's not as if we aren't married in pretty much every way but name, anyways."

"That's true," Edward acknowledged. "I'd just like to officially be able to call you Mrs. Edward Cullen."

"And someday you will call me Mrs. Edward _Swan _Cullen," I shrugged when Edward raised his brows at me. "Equal opportunity- I'll take your name but I'm keeping mine too. Feminism and all that."

"Are you telling me that you're a feminist, Bella?" Edward asked.

I grinned.

"You'll have the next six months to find out," I told him, suddenly looking forward to starting forever (hopefully without any more pit falls). "After that, you're stuck with me, buddy."

Edward buried his face in my hair.

"Six months has never seemed so long."

~*~

I had never seen a dog (or wolf) look so pleased as Andrew did when he met us at the edge of the clearing that held the house. If he had been a cat, I wouldn't have been surprised to see a few feathers sticking out of his mouth.

"Apparently the turning had no adverse side effects," I commented scratching Andrew behind his ear. "You look far too smug."

Andrew woofed in reply and raced back to Tia who was watching him with a fond look on her face on the steps of the house.

"The two of you are looking awfully content," Tia stated.

"We're getting married," Edward replied, looking every bit as smug as the wolf Andrew.

Tia's eyes immediately went to my finger and noted the lack of ring.

"You're kind of slacking in the stone department, Edward," she stated. "Normally a statement like that would be followed by Bella showing off her enormous, absolutely gorgeous ring."

Andrew gave another woof- this one in agreement with Tia's words.

"The ring," Edward muttered. "I knew I was forgetting something," he placed me next to Tia on the step, "don't move," then he raced off.

"Forgot… you already had a ring!?"

Tia laughed at the look on my face, but I ignored her and stood to go after Edward- but he was already back when I turned around.

"Seriously Bella," he shook his head. "I told you not to move."

"This whole proposal thing- how long have you been planning it?" I asked him incredulously.

"I had the ring before I ever met you, Bella," seeing the look on my face, he hastily continued. "It belonged to my mother. She gave it to me to give to my future wife- which would be you."

"Obviously," was my dry reply as I watched him go to one knee. "And that's really not necessary."

"C'mon Bella," Tia replied. "You'll only ever really get proposed to once- let him do it right."

I shot her a withering glare, but she just grinned.

"Bella, could you please ignore the others for a moment?" Edward sighed. "I'm trying to make a romantic gesture here."

I looked back into Edward's gorgeous topaz eyes, giving him my attention.

"Isabella Marie Swan, ever since the first moment I met you, I knew you would have an irreversible effect on my life-"

"When you killed her?" Tia asked. "Edward- that's not the best way to start a proposal."

Andrew gave another woof of agreement.

Edward shot them both a dark look.

"Could we please have silence in the peanut gallery?" he asked. "You're kind of destroying the moment."

"You're doing it fine yourself by referencing the time you _murdered _her. Not very romantic-"

"You know, for someone who told me to let him propose right, you're sure doing a good job of ruining the whole thing," I commented idly.

"Fine, fine- no more remarks about how totally un-romantic death-referencing is. Just ignore my sensible advice and continue," she waved Edward on regally.

"As I was saying, I knew you would have an irreversible effect on me. I had no idea how _deep_ that effect would be, however," Edward reached out and grasped my hand. "I love you Bella. I love your loyalty, your tenacity. I love your passion, and the way you sometimes ramble. I even love the fact that you don't really have a romantic bone in your body," he grinned up at me, then released my hand to pull out a small velvet box. He opened it, and I gasped- the ring's face was a long oval set with slanting rows of glittering round stones, the narrow, delicate band was gold and made a fragile web around the diamonds.

"It's gorgeous Edward," clasped my hands over my mouth.

"Yowza," Tia murmured leaning around me to get a closer look. She glanced at Andrew. "You know, if you ever get around to proposing- I wouldn't be against a ring that looked like that."

Andrew, even in wolf form, looked shocked for a moment, then a calculating glint appeared in his eyes as if he were thinking about it.

Edward ignored Tia and continued to speak.

"I love _you_ Bella- and I want nothing more in this world than to love you. Will you marry me?"

"I already answered that," if I had been human, I think my eyes might have misted.

"Say it again?" Edward looked at me.

"Yes, Edward. I'll marry you."

Edward grinned and slid the ring on my finger, then stood to wrap me tightly in his arms.

"You finally asked her," Alice skipped out of the house and grasped my left hand, holding it up to her face. "The ring is even more gorgeous in real life."

"Congrats," Jasper grinned at me. "Guess your 'no' didn't stay that way long, did it?"

"Shush up, you," I replied, but I was smiling.

The others joined us outside to congratulate us- Andrew even phased back so he could vocalize his congratulations and give me a bear hug to envy anything Emmett was capable of.

Standing there, my future husband at my side, I felt as if forever had finally begun.

_**The End… of the Beginning**_

_**A.N2: Well, it's been three stories, three one shots, a whole lot of chapters, and even more words- but I've done it. That is the end of "Midnight Flame", and the final full story in this series. I would like to thank everyone who stuck with it, and tell you not to worry. There may not be anymore full length stories, but there will be couple more one shots from this story (hello- I wouldn't **_**not**_** write the wedding). Who knows, maybe someday I'll return to write out Tia and Andy's full story. For now, this is it. If anyone has any questions, or something they'd like me to write about just let me know. I'm always open to suggestions **__****___


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